The Fasces: A History of Ancient Rome's Most Dangerous Political Symbol

Author:   T. Corey Brennan (Professor, Professor, Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN:  

9780197644881


Pages:   304
Publication Date:   21 November 2022
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
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The Fasces: A History of Ancient Rome's Most Dangerous Political Symbol


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Author:   T. Corey Brennan (Professor, Professor, Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.70cm , Height: 2.70cm , Length: 16.50cm
Weight:   0.567kg
ISBN:  

9780197644881


ISBN 10:   0197644880
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   21 November 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Chapter 1. Introduction to The Roman Fasces Chapter 2. Origins of The Fasces Chapter 3. Images of The Roman Fasces Chapter 4. Roman Fasces in Action Chapter 5. Limits and Discontinuities of The Fasces Chapter 6. Carrying the Fasces Chapter 7. Medieval and Renaissance Fasces Chapter 8. Early Modern and Neoclassical Fasces Chapter 9. Popular and Revolutionary Fasces Chapter 10. American Fasces Chapter 11. Constructing Fasces in Mussolini's Italy Chapter 12. Eradication of Fasces Abbreviations and Note on Translations Bibliography Illustrations

Reviews

This is a highly readable, interesting and useful survey, and an illustration of how we can always learn from history. The line between Romulus, the consuls, Marianne, Lincoln and Mussolini isn't a straight one: symbols too can be easily manipulated. * Classics for All * Brennan follows a symbol of authority from ancient Rome, via Mussolini and Lincoln, to today's far Right.... Compelling. * The Telegraph * Few political icons can boast the longevity of the fasces, the bundle of rods surrounding an axe variously employed by the ancient Etruscans and Romans, French and American revolutionaries, and (most infamously) Mussolini's fascists. In the first comprehensive study of its kind, Cory Brennan expertly traces the complex history and shifting meanings of this powerful symbol * a history all the more important given the re-emergence of the fasces in the hands of the contemporary Alt-Right.Joshua Arthurs, University of Toronto * Power expresses itself through symbols and perhaps no symbol has been as potent, from imperial Rome to Mussolini's fascist Italy, as the Roman fasces. T. Corey Brennan in his illuminating and eloquently written book traces this use of the fasces from its origins to the present, exploring what this symbol seeks to impart. He dissects, in the process, the nature of autocratic power and the manipulation of symbols to justify and suppress aspirations for liberty. * Chris Hedges, author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning * The fasces are one of the most potent symbols of terrifying power and are ineradicably associated with contemporary political extremism. But their history is longer, richer, and even more fascinating. No-one is better equipped than Corey Brennan to tell this story — and he tells it brilliantly. * Christopher Smith, University of St Andrews * [An] impressive history of the ancient symbol...Brennan's long history of the fasces reminds us that there is a time and place for symbol-smashing, but also that if we attempt to erase such symbols we risk caricaturing them, forgetting the nuance of their historical reality and ultimately ceding their unquestionable power to those who would use them to promote hate-fuelled ideologies. * Times Literary Supplement * This is a beautifully written book about a potent, malleable and sinister symbol. The volume concludes by saying: 'We are now a full century past the point where one can argue that the primary associations of the fasces are benign'. Every one of us needs to know what happened, and the easiest way to do that is to read Professor Brennan's brilliant book. * Classical Journal-Online * An engrossing study... The evolution of the fasces from ancient to modern times reminds us of how dramatically the meanings of such objects can shift, or even invert, as different eras project onto them the values they want to uphold... Brennan's study is disturbingly timely... By making the fasces more recognizable and less ambiguous, Brennan's book aims to prevent its return as a banner for authoritarianism. * The New York Review of Books * By making the fasces more recognizable and less ambiguous, Brennan's book aims to prevent its return as a banner for authoritarianism. * James Romm, New York Review * A wide-reaching, ambitious book presenting a global history of fasces... Brennan covers a vast sweep of time, moving from their Etruscan origins in antiquity to the revival of the symbol in fascist Europe. * History Today * The word 'fascism' has universal awareness in contemporary political discourse, which thus makes this, the first book to trace the full arc of the fasces' almost 3,000-year history, essential reading for all who wish to understand how the past informs the present. * New Books Network * This work is certainly of interest to any serious student of ancient Roman history or the reception of ancient Roman symbology in the modern world...It is definitely a valuable work and its relevance in modern political discourse only helps to highlight the value of understanding the history of this ancient symbol. * Brian Zawiski, The Journal of Classics Teaching * This work is certainly of interest to any serious student of ancient Roman history or the reception of ancient Roman symbology in the modern world...It is definitely a valuable work and its relevance in modern political discourse only helps to highlight the value of understanding the history of this ancient symbol. * Brian Zawiski, The Journal of Classics Teaching *


This is a highly readable, interesting and useful survey, and an illustration of how we can always learn from history. The line between Romulus, the consuls, Marianne, Lincoln and Mussolini isn't a straight one: symbols too can be easily manipulated. * Classics for All * Brennan follows a symbol of authority from ancient Rome, via Mussolini and Lincoln, to today's far Right.... Compelling. * The Telegraph * Few political icons can boast the longevity of the fasces, the bundle of rods surrounding an axe variously employed by the ancient Etruscans and Romans, French and American revolutionaries, and (most infamously) Mussolini's fascists. In the first comprehensive study of its kind, Cory Brennan expertly traces the complex history and shifting meanings of this powerful symbol * a history all the more important given the re-emergence of the fasces in the hands of the contemporary Alt-Right. * Power expresses itself through symbols and perhaps no symbol has been as potent, from imperial Rome to Mussolini's fascist Italy, as the Roman fasces. T. Corey Brennan in his illuminating and eloquently written book traces this use of the fasces from its origins to the present, exploring what this symbol seeks to impart. He dissects, in the process, the nature of autocratic power and the manipulation of symbols to justify and suppress aspirations for liberty. * Chris Hedges, author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning * The fasces are one of the most potent symbols of terrifying power and are ineradicably associated with contemporary political extremism. But their history is longer, richer, and even more fascinating. No-one is better equipped than Corey Brennan to tell this story - and he tells it brilliantly. * Christopher Smith, University of St Andrews *


Few political icons can boast the longevity of the fasces, the bundle of rods surrounding an axe variously employed by the ancient Etruscans and Romans, French and American revolutionaries, and (most infamously) Mussolini's fascists. In the first comprehensive study of its kind, Cory Brennan expertly traces the complex history and shifting meanings of this powerful symbol * a history all the more important given the re-emergence of the fasces in the hands of the contemporary Alt-Right. * Power expresses itself through symbols and perhaps no symbol has been as potent, from imperial Rome to Mussolini's fascist Italy, as the Roman fasces. T. Corey Brennan in his illuminating and eloquently written book traces this use of the fasces from its origins to the present, exploring what this symbol seeks to impart. He dissects, in the process, the nature of autocratic power and the manipulation of symbols to justify and suppress aspirations for liberty. * Chris Hedges, author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning * The fasces are one of the most potent symbols of terrifying power and are ineradicably associated with contemporary political extremism. But their history is longer, richer, and even more fascinating. No-one is better equipped than Corey Brennan to tell this story - and he tells it brilliantly. * Christopher Smith, University of St Andrews *


Author Information

T. Corey Brennan is a Professor of Classics at Rutgers University and author of The Praetorship in the Roman Republic and Sabina Augusta: An Imperial Journey. He has appeared on television documentaries that concern the ancient world, most recently for Netflix, BBC2, and the History Channel.

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