The 'enemy' speaks: Oratory and criticism of empire in Roman historiography

This dissertation examines the degree to which Greek and Roman historians of Rome were interested in criticizing Roman imperialism and Roman society. It offers exegeses of five speeches and one letter crafted by Greek and Roman historians that are put in the mouths of enemies of Rome. Through this means, the dissertation demonstrates that postcolonial perspectives on Roman imperialism, which are gaining currency among classicists, underestimate the degree to which ancient historians proved capable of criticizing the practices and presumptions of their own society.; The first chapter of the work discusses the subject of the historicity of speeches in Greco-Roman historiography, arguing that the speeches examined in later chapters are essentially the creations of their authors. The chapter stresses that the ancients did not share our hyper-concern for objectivity, and thus crafted speeches in their works that were at best thinly based on actually delivered orations.; The second chapter dilates on the import of postcolonial views of Roman imperialism, and argues that postcolonial approaches often result in a distorted picture of Roman society. By criticizing important aspects of postcolonial theory, the chapter highlights the need for a different perspective on Roman imperialism---one offered in the remaining chapters of the dissertation.; The third chapter examines Sallust's Epistula Mithridatis and Pompeius Trogus' speech of Mithridates before the First Mithridatic War. Although scholars argue that Pompeius Trogus, simply because of his Gallic ancestry, was anti-Roman, the chapter concludes that Sallust's letter presents a more damaging assessment of Roman imperialism than does Trogus' Mithridatic oration.; The fourth chapter addresses the speeches of Boudica found in the works of Tacitus and Cassius Dio. It argues that both historians are capable of articulating disapproval of Roman imperialism. In addition, it concludes that Dio was not merely interested in creating speeches that highlight his oratorical prowess; rather, his orations address key issues related to Roman imperialism.; The fifth chapter discusses the pre-Ticinus and pre-Zama orations of Hannibal found in the works of Polybius and Livy. In contrast to scholarly consensus, the chapter demonstrates that Livy, although heir to the nationalistic Roman annalistic tradition, could present criticisms of Rome that are as deep-seated as those Polybius offers.; The dissertation contributes both to the study of ancient historiography and the on-going debates about Roman imperialism.