Dec 19, 2009

The Pharsalia | Themes

Libertas
Libertas for a Roman citizen meant a web of rights and obligations. Particularly important to the Roman sense of self was the freedom, theoretically, to have a voice in shaping Roman law and policy. They acknowledged only the law and the lawfully constituted magistrates whose power derived from their will. It is easy to dismiss libertas, particularly in the late republic, as merely aristocratic privilege. From the Pharsalia, it is clear that Lucan is aware of the shortcomings of libertas (1.158-82).

Lucan's libertas may...