THE ROMAN ARMY AND GREEK MILITARISM IN CHARITON'SCHAEREAS AND CALLIRHOE

Abstract

This paper seeks to highlight and assess the presence of allusions to Roman military apparatus in Chariton'sChaereas and Callirhoe. In the introduction, I contextualise the argument within the history of scholarship on the novel, and discuss issues relating to the author's date, Aphrodisian provenance and readership. I then divide the argument into three parts. At the end of the novel, Chaereas returns to Syracuse and publicly displays the spoils won from the east in a manner that, I argue, is highly suggestive of the Roman triumph (Parti). He then extends a grant of citizenship to the Greek element of his army and issues them cash donatives, while Hermocrates gives farmland to the Egyptians. As I demonstrate, this is characteristic of what happens upon the demobilisation of Roman military manpower (especially theauxilia) (Partii). I then draw out the ramifications of an imperial-era author who represents Greek military exploits against the Persians, writing during a period in which Greeks were not interested in military endeavours (Partiii).

Spartans in the ancient Greek novels

“… 9 Because of his Aphrodisian claim, Chariton is particularly susceptible to readings that harness extratextual realities. In addition to the items listed in the previous note, see also Schwartz (2003), on Persia as Rome, and Jolowicz (2018c), on Roman military apparatus. …”

“… 67 Jolowicz (2018c) 132, with 131–33 generally, referring to the argument of Alvares (2001–2002) 140 and (2007) 15–16 that Chaereas’ force represents a ‘concrete political dream’ of Greek freedom, and a subtle indication to the Romans of ‘how valuable Greeks could be as friends or dangerous as enemies’. …”

“… 69 I have discussed the mixture of ‘subversive’ and ‘accommodationist’ positions within Chariton’s text elsewhere: Jolowicz (2018c) 114–18, (2023) 127–29. Fundamental on the complex rhetoric of self-positioning of Imperial Greek texts vis-à-vis Rome are Swain (1996); Whitmarsh (2001).…”