A history of lightning in Roman thought, politics, and culture

Thesis

Lightning has long been hidden in plain sight of scholarship. So powerful and so conspicuous as a natural phenomenon and so prevalent in the ancient sources, it is familiar and therefore easy to overlook. It is easy also to assume that as a common artistic and literary device, it is straightforward and well-understood. This thesis seeks to overturn such assumptions and to refresh our vision of ancient Roman lightning-ways.

Moving scholarly consideration of lightning beyond its habitual confines in the terrain of divination and natural philosophy, this study presents a cultural history of lightning in the Roman world. In form, it comprises a series of case studies that are simultaneously thematic and diachronic in nature. These are organised into three main sections. The first considers mythological case studies and lays out three models which allow for an examination of some conceptual frameworks of lightning, particularly those pertaining to political power. The second section presents republican cases and considers the social world of lightning, its organisation and dynamics. The third section consists of imperial case studies and tracks the evolving relationship between lightning and one man rule. Incorporating fluid and dynamic categories such as religion, folklore, politics, philosophy, art, architecture, and everyday life, the scope is broad and the timeframe expansive. However, the arguments presented are all grounded in the ancient experience of real lightning. It is that reality and the danger it entailed which were the crucible for Roman ideas about lightning and how to deal with it. In the resulting frisson between belief, behaviour, and environment, the thesis points to a flickering network of new connections, revealing the central though problematic role lightning played in Roman history

Authors: Strachan, V

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-zg78ewxvb
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: ancient Roman lightning; fulgur; ancient environment; fulmen; expiation; thunderbolt; Roman political ideology; keraunophoros imagery; divination and augury
• Subjects: History, Ancient; Environmental agencies; Classical antiquities; Symbolism in politics; Lightning in art; Politics and culture; Lightning in literature; Weather