Classical Antiquity

Abstract

Abstract This article considers how the Roman Republic could function as a site of decadence for both ancient writers and later critics. While Imperial Rome and its colorful emperors frequently appear in fin-de-siècle literature and artwork, the Roman Republic was also home to a host of morally ambiguous characters. The early Republic is perhaps better known for its heroes—Brutus, Horatius, Cloelia, or Mucius—but even within the characterizations of these seemingly virtuous Romans there is room for accusations of lateness, inadequacy, and decline. The hallmarks of decadence can be found in the long history of Rome, from its foundation through to its “fall” in the West. As such, the moral and material stagnation that is so familiar from decadent references to Imperial Rome can be usefully understood as a result of the decline that was always present in the state and appears even in the biographies of its most illustrious citizens.