Ask The Expert - Dr. Arthur Keaveney

We are happy to announce that Dr. Arthur Keaveney has agreed to answer questions from our forum members. Every forum member can ask one question only (to make you consider what you would like discussed carefully), no follow up replies to keep the thread clean and to make it easier for the Professor to go through the questions. We also would like to point out to stick to your question to the area of his expertise, which is the period of the roman republic. After a week or two (depending how many questions we have) Dr. Keaveney will answer those which he thinks are the most interesting or applicable...

Dr Arthur Keaveney is senior lecturer in Classical Studies at the Univeristy of Kent. He is teaching and researching in ancient history, Greek & Roman, particularly the Roman republic and Achaemenid Persia. Publications include Rome and the Unification of Italy, Lucullus; A Life and Sulla; The Last Republican

[EDIT] Follow-up questions and relative discussion should take place in a new topic in the appropriate forum.

Welcome to the Forum Dr. Keaveney, we are very pleased to have you here!

Recently there was a discussion here about Cato the Censor's view on Hellenism and its potential for a negative effect on Rome and whether or not Cato's concern was justified, -or rather-, whether it properly foreshadowed events to come.

After the discussion, I was incidentally reading Pliny's last few books on metals and on painting and was struck with the disparaging tone that Pliny assumes throughout when discussing the valuation of luxury items (precious metals, works of art, number of servants, etc

Hello Dr. Keaveney and thank you for answering our questions!

The earliest period of Rome always intrigued me, especially that the Romans managed the complete assimilation of the Etruscans to Italic Rome in the Roman Republic. Now there comes my questions, how important is the study of the Etruscans to better understand the Beginning of the Roman Republic and what (if any) progress has been made in the research of the complex relationship between those two civilations?

Thanks for taking the time to consider our questions:

The actions of Tiberius Gracchus promted a faction within the senate to turn to violence in order to thwart his proposed reforms. This seems to have created a precedent of violence that increasingly plagued Rome until the end of the Republic.

My question is this: what was it about the Republic pre-Gracchus that prevented recourse to violence? Mere lack of provocative legislation or a deeper rooted sense of responsibility? If the latter, then what changed?

Thanks for the time Dr Keaveney.

How core or otherwise do you think the Tribunician reforms under the Sullan constitution were to Sullas overall plan for strengthening the republic ?

Dr. Keaveney, welcome and thanks for coming to our forum. We hope you

Hello and thank you!

What made Rome the one to succesfully unite Italy and not the etruscans, greeks, other latins, samnites, gauls or other competitors?

Hello and Welcome Dr. Keaveney

Lucullus is a figure who "drops under the radar" to non-Romanophiles, would you care to name any other particular figures whose life and works you would consider "unsung" and worthy of our greater attention?

Hello and Welcome Dr. Keaveney

Lucullus is a figure who "drops under the radar" to non-Romanophiles, would you care to name any other particular figures whose life and works you would consider "unsung" and worthy of our greater attention?

As a follow-up to the question above...

Why is Lucullus such an "unsung" character? Was he truly lost in the sea of larger than life contemporaries or did he fall victim to an anti Sullan agenda of Caesar. This would not quite blend with Caesar's support of Pompey for the eastern imperium, but can Lucullus dismissal in the Mithridatic War simply be written off as a Senatorial fear of Pompey's ominous legionary presence?

Essentially Why did his "retirement" from public life not gain him a bit more of a lasting reverence despite the spectacular luxuries, when the era in question perhaps could've used a few more men willing to set aside political power.

By the by, I heartily enjoyed Sulla the Last Republican and highly recommend it to my fellow Romanophiles. Would there ever be a similar re-publication of your Lucullus work?

Welcome Dr. Keaveney, your time is very much appreciated.

The Estrucans dominated the northern areas of Italy where they would spread their culture and language. To the south of Italy, it marked the area in which Latin culture and language was dominant. I would just like to know which category does Rome lean towards? And who were the main counterparts who influenced Rome the most?

Thank you very much Dr. Keaveney.

Thank you Dr. Keavney for this opportunity to ask you questions.

My question is:

How do you think the balance of power would have been altered had Crassus been more successful in Parthia? Do you feel he was already too old to be a factor between Caesar and Pompey?

Plautus, writing from my desk in Taipei, watching Typhoon Chansoo blow by my window.

Thanks for taking time to read my question, Dr. Keaveney.

We are putting together a Roman reenactor/Living History group featuring Julius Caesar's 10th Legion. There has been much discussion elsewhere, but no clear conclusion on the shape of the scuta used by the Legions around the time of the end of the Gaulic campaigns and Caesar's final return to Roma. Some contend that most, if not all, the mainline legionary soldiers carried the curved oval scuta, while others submit that the rectangular curved scutum had replaced the older style.

We mostly agree that the "painted spine" on the shields, for both legionary and auxilia are meant to imitate visually the raised spine found on the Gaulish shields which they emulated, and that the auxilia continued to carry the oval, flat shield.

Could you weigh in on this issue, sir? We want to get it right, if possible, and there are so many blind alleys and link chains that lead to somebody's opinion, that we'd like to hear from someone who has committed the considerable time to that era that you have.

Thank you so much,

M. Demetrius

Texas

Dear doctor,

I have read of the roman pilum many times, and not once have I come across a logical description of its function; I can never visualize how the pilum would have bent upon impact and thus have become a hindrance to its victim. It is said that the pilum's shaft was soft, and that it would bend to either become unremovable and/or inadequate to throw back at its legionary owner, as well as perhaps killing the poor gaul through his shield. The latter part I can understand, but how on earth did the part of the pilum's iron shaft which was on the INSIDE of the shield bend? Wouldn't the outside shaft be the only bending component, the pilum's weight bending the shaft at its point of impact only? Many modern scholars seem to describe the pilum entire shaft as bending, but why would it? Wouldn't such softness render the pilum too soft for penetration? Furthermore, wouldn't the job of preventing the spear's removal be left to its barbed point? And why develop such a weapon in the first place, when the enemy didn't even have the time to struggle with the pilum, remove it and return it to the romans before they closed in for the kill? Thanks,

Hello Dr. Keaveney and thank you for answering our questions...

My question is, why did Rome act the way it did in Greece and Macedonia? What I mean is, it seemed as though originally Rome had little enthusiasm for interfering in the Greek world but they went in anyway. After thier initial conquest of Macedonia, why did they leave and just hand things back over only to have to go in again and finally years later have to go in once more. I guess my overal question is, why was Rome's actions here so different from thier conquests of other areas, where once they were there they stayed? Thanks.

DEAR Dr. Keaveney,

Do you have any idea of where Alesia is in modern day France? I can't understand how they can know the story of Vercengetorix and not know the location. My wife and I would like to plan a trip there as I'm writing a novel on his life (and Ceasar). Do you have a starting place for us to look?

Keltis (Tim Gatto) timgatto@hotmail.com