Sulla’s Example: Remembering a Dictator in the Late Republic and Beyond
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article analyses the legacy of the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla from the earliest relevant evidence (81 BC) to the fifth century AD. It was dominated by four strands of memory concerning his power, the proscriptions, the stability he provided, and his personal stature. These strands collectively formed an ambivalent legacy that has been obscured by the schematism of previous work. In particular, Umberto Laffi’s influential ‘myth of Sulla’, according to which the dictator was remembered as a straightforwardly negative example under the Principate, misrepresents the evidence. By restoring the ambivalence of Sulla’s memory, this article opens up the potential for a new discussion about how and why Sulla’s extraordinary power and harrowing violence could be rationalised by the Romans.
Source: Journal of Ancient History
Author: Will Szymanski
Institution: University of Oxford
Language: English
Topic: Classical Antiquity Studies
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,712
OpenAlex ID: W4408029570