Studies in the History of Greece and Rome
1 total work
Publius Clodius Pulcher was a prominent political figure during the last years of the Roman Republic. Born into an illustrious patrisian family, his early career was sullied by military failures and especially by the scandal that resulted from his allegedly disguising himself as a woman in order to sneak into a forbidden ceremony in the hope of seducing Caeser's wife. Clodius survived this disgrace, and emerged as a major political force. He renounced his patrician status and was elected tribune of the people. As tribune, he pursued an ambitious legislative agenda, winning the loyalties of the common people of Rome to such a degree that he was soon able to summon forceful, even violent, demonstrations on his own behalf. This biography of Publius Clodius Pulcher traces his career from its earliest stages until its end in 52B.C., when he was murdered by a political rival. It explores his political successes, as well as the limitations of his popular strategies, within the broader context of Roman political practices. In the process the book illuminates the relationship between the political contents of Rome's elite and the daily struggles of Rome's urban poor.