Epilogue

Tacitus and Pliny provide valuable evidence for the status and vibrancy of oratory during the imperial period and the high esteem in which it was held. Roman citizens flocked to the courts and public halls and students were eager to attend schools by renowned orators. Despite Maternus’ repudiation of oratory (Dial.

11.1-13.6), which represents a betrayal of the class obligations outlined by Aper (5.4) and Quintilian (Inst. 12.7.1-4) for the Roman aristocracy, its practical role in helping the engaged public figure to attain fame and meet his social obligations ensured its popularity. For Aper oratory is still the best instrument with which to defend oneself and to attack others in the courts, senate, and before the emperor (Dial. 5.6). The acculturative function of rhetorical education cannot be overestimated, for it was in the courts, schools, and public halls that aspiring orators learned the mode of self-presentation and oratorical skills expected of the elite classes. Even with the changed role of political oratory under the emperors, oratory continued to dominate the social and political landscape of Rome. As a cultural institution oratory was above all a form of social and political power. The career and letters of Pliny vividly illustrate the means by which the elite publicly defined their status, empowered themselves, defended their position, and transmitted their values within Roman society.

FURTHER READING

The bibliography on Tacitus and the Dialogus is vast, whereas for Pliny’s Epistles it is relatively limited. The modern works cited in this chapter will refer readers to a host of other valuable material, much of it contentious. Parks (1945) is still a useful discussion of oratory in the courts and schools under the empire. Crook (1995) discusses the role of legal advocacy in the Roman world. For the Latin text and English translations of the Dialogus and Epistles, see Hutton and Peterson (1970) and Radice (1969) respectively.

A Companion to Roman Rhetoric Edited by William Dominik, Jon Hall Copyright © 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd