The Roman search for wisdom

This title presents the Roman ‘philosophy of life’ as mirrored in the literature of ten outstanding representative authors. Though Rome conquered much of the world and established an empire that lasted more than a millennium, its citizens sometimes expressed a sense of inferiority to the intellectual accomplishments of ancient Greece. The notion that Roman philosophers, thinkers, and writers were just pale imitations of Greek originals has persisted to this day. Even the great Roman poet Horace wrote, ‘Captive Greece took its Roman captor captive, invading uncouth Latium with its arts.’ Michael K. Kellogg puts this notion to rest in this overview of Roman literature.