Walking in Roman Culture

In this book, literary, artistic and architectural evidence reveals the role that walking played in how Romans perceived themselves and their society.

Timothy M. O'Sullivan (Author)

9781107475991, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 December 2014

202 pages, 16 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.28 kg

'O'Sullivan's book is a door-opener into a novel topic and it is innovative in several of its analyses and conclusions. The integrated use of text and material culture is highly laudable, and the fluent style makes the book a pleasure to read. This is an important contribution to the study of ancient Rome.' Ida Östenberg, Classical Review

Walking served as an occasion for the display of power and status in ancient Rome, where great men paraded with their entourages through city streets and elite villa owners strolled with friends in private colonnades and gardens. In this book-length treatment of the culture of walking in ancient Rome, Timothy O'Sullivan explores the careful attention which Romans paid to the way they moved through their society. He employs a wide range of literary, artistic and architectural evidence to reveal the crucial role that walking played in the performance of social status, the discourse of the body and the representation of space. By examining how Roman authors depict walking, this book sheds new light on the Romans themselves - not only how they perceived themselves and their experience of the world, but also how they drew distinctions between work and play, mind and body, and Republic and Empire.

Introduction
1. The art of walking
2. Seneca on the mind in motion
3. Urban walkers on display
4. Cicero's legs
5. Theoretical travels
6. Walking with Odysseus
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]