As part of the 2014 Visiting Professor program of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (AAIA), the lecture ‘Posters and other propaganda: winning elections in Ancient Rome’ will be given by Professor Jeffery Tatum of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Elections in republican Rome were annual events at which the Roman people selected their leaders – not their representatives.
They were central to the political life of Rome and fundamental to the dynamic relationship between the senate and people of Rome. Rome had no political parties, nor, normally, were elections disputes about policies. Instead, they were contests over personal prestige and influence, and all the more fierce because of it.
The lecture will examine the canvassing techniques employed by Romans in the hope of winning office, both on a grand scale – decisions about buying villas in the countryside were affected by the tribal configurations of Italy – and the small scale, including political posters, letter campaigns, gift cups and figurines.
The solicitation of tribal centres, neighbourhood associations, and the raw public in the forum were conventional pageants, as were events held in one’s home.
And nearly all these canvassing techniques were subject to abuse and corruption.
Professor Tatum’s research concentrates mostly on the literature and history of the Roman republic. He is also interested in Plutarch and the Second Sophistic.
The lecture will be held on Thursday 28 August at 7.00 pm, Napier Building (Room GO4), University of Adelaide. For more information, contact Zoi Papafilopoulos 0413 339 488 or Anastasia Potiris 0438 358 326.