A Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship has been awarded to Professor Henriette van der Blom, Professor of Ancient History in the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology, for her research project: The invention of Roman republican speech: Valerius Maximus Facta et dicta.
The research will centre around Valerius Maximus’ Facta et dicta memorabilia (27-31 CE), a collection of roughly 1000 short stories written during the time of the Roman republic. Many of these short stories feature speeches given to a wealth of Roman audiences, providing the opportunity to gain a better understanding of Roman republican speechcraft and oratory on a range of issues still present in political discourse today.
Valerius Maximus’ writing is of particular interest to Professor van der Blom for a number of reasons. Firstly, it features speeches by groups not often represented in ancient Greco-Roman sources. With perspectives from women, lower-class peoples and foreigners making up a portion of the text within the Facta et dicta memorabilia, it provides a more holistic view of Roman oratory than other texts featuring only the elite male citizen of Roman society. Furthermore, Valerius wrote his stories during a time of great political change: the reign of the second Emperors of Rome, while looking back at the period before the emperors. Through this, Professor van der Blom aims to develop an understanding of how Roman oratory changed alongside the political system of Rome.
Reacting to the award, Professor van der Blom said: 'I am delighted and excited about the opportunity to carry out this project, which I have been thinking about and preparing for quite a few years. The outcome of the project will be a monograph about Valerius Maximus' engagement with Roman public speech, how that engagement informs us about Roman oratory and the change from republican to monarchical rule, and how Valerius' representation of speech has influenced the history of rhetoric in the Western world.'
