Gestures and Acclamations in Ancient Rome.

Aldrete, Gregory S.:

ISBN 10: 0801861322 / ISBN 13: 9780801861321

Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press; Baltimore and London, 1999

About this Item

XXIII; 227 S.; graph. Darst.; 22 cm. Gutes Exemplar. - Englisch. - Life in Rome was relentlessly public, and oratory was at its heart. Orations were dramatic spectacles in which the speaker deployed an arsenal of rhetorical tricks and strategies aimed at arousing the emotions of the audience, and spectators responded vigorously and vocally with massed chants of praise or condemnation. Unfortunately, many aspects of these performances have been lost. In the first in-depth study of oratorical gestures and crowd acclamations as methods of communication at public spectacles, Gregory Aldrete sets out to recreate these vital missing components and to recapture the original context of ancient spectacles as interactive, dramatic, and contentious public performances. At the most basic level, this work is a study of communication-how Roman speakers communicated with their audiences, and how audiences in turn were able to reply and convey their reactions to the speakers. Aldrete begins by investigating how orators employed an extraordinarily sophisticated system of hand and body gestures in order to enhance the persuasive power of their speeches. He then turns to the target of these orations - the audience - and examines how they responded through the mechanism of acclamations, that is, rhythmically shouted comments. (Verlagstext) // INHALT : List of Figures ------ Acknowledgments ------ Introduction ------ Abbreviations ------ I. SPEAKERS ------ One ------ Eloquence without Words: Uses of Gesture in Roman Oratory ------ Emotion ------ Indication ------ Mimicry, Accompaniment, Rhythm, and Signaling ------ Two ------ Gesture in Roman Society ------ Oratorical Gesture in Art ------ Extent of Knowledge of Oratorical Gesture ------ The Illustrated Terence Manuscripts ------ Orators, Actors, and the Trend toward Theatricality ------ Practical Considerations ------ Three ------ Oratory and the Roman Emperors ------ The Rhetorical Training of Emperors ------ Gesture in Interactions between Emperors and Plebs ------ Emperor, Plebs, and Gestures in Art ------ II. AUDIENCES ------ Four ------ Uses of Acclamations by the Urban Plebs ------ Greeting and Praise ------ Reaction ------ Criticism or Petition ------ Five ------ Characteristics of the Use of Acclamations ------ Formulas and Rhythms ------ Benefits: Legitimacy, Status, Participation, and Material Gain ------ Risks: Insult, Uncertainty, Fear, and Death ------ Conclusion ------ Notes ------ Bibliography ------ Index. ISBN 0801861322 Sprache: Deutsch Gewicht in Gramm: 550 Originalleinen mit illustr. Schutzumschlag.

Seller Inventory # 1200615

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Gestures and Acclamations in Ancient Rome.
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; Baltimore and London
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: German
• ISBN 10: 0801861322
• ISBN 13: 9780801861321
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Gut
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Weight: 550 grams
• Seller catalogs:
  • Römisches Reich

About this title

Synopsis

Life in Rome was relentlessly public, and oratory was at its heart. Orations were dramatic spectacles in which the speaker deployed an arsenal of rhetorical tricks and strategies aimed at arousing the emotions of the audience, and spectators responded vigorously and vocally with massed chants of praise or condemnation. Unfortunately, many aspects of these performances have been lost. In the first in-depth study of oratorical gestures and crowd acclamations as methods of communication at public spectacles, Gregory Aldrete sets out to recreate these vital missing components and to recapture the original context of ancient spectacles as interactive, dramatic, and contentious public performances.

At the most basic level, this work is a study of communication -- how Roman speakers communicated with their audiences, and how audiences in turn were able to reply and convey their reactions to the speakers. Aldrete begins by investigating how orators employed an extraordinarily sophisticated system of hand and body gestures in order to enhance the persuasive power of their speeches. He then turns to the target of these orations -- the audience -- and examines how they responded through the mechanism of acclamations, that is, rhythmically shouted comments.

Aldrete finds much in these ancient spectacles that is relevant to modern questions of political propaganda, manipulation of public image, crowd behavior, and speechmaking. Readers with an interest in rhetoric, urban culture, or communications in any period will find the book informative, as will those working in art history, archaeology, history, and philology.

About the Author

Gregory S. Aldrete is an associate professor of history and humanistic studies at the University of Wisconsin--Green Bay.