Jeffery Clackley The Summi Viri Are Dead!?

Annales XV, a book full of strife, murder, disaster, and decadence gives ample opportunities to examine Tacitus’ own take on the Roman exempla system. By looking at the specific uses of exempla in the course of Book XV and at passages that have a clear exemplary message Tacitus’ use of the exempla system in his history becomes manifest and his philosophy concerning how the system works is explained.

There are seven uses of the specific term exemplum in Book XV and these will be examined. Tacitus also provides a micro-model of how the exempla system will work throughout the rest of Book XV by using a speech of Thrasea Paetus early in the book to expound on the subject. Further association of good examples (exempla honesta) are shown by the use of oratio recta, which shows itself always connected with exempla making in the course of Book XV. The scarcity of direct speech in Book XV gives those exempla described in direct speech all the more resonance.

Those marked for the making of good examples also point to Tacitus’ theme of empowering fringe or marginalized characters with the sort of virtues that their more famous and illustrious fellows should, but don’t, exhibit. For instance we have the example of Epicharis and her steadfastness under torture contrasted to the inconsistency of the Roman nobility when put under similar constraints. The theme of constantia, especially under duress, gives Tacitus the means to estimate his characters’ true natures.

Finally this paper aims at examining the exempla and monumenta (exempla in a physical form) of Book XV and thus contrasting Tacitus’ Rome to that of Livy’s (especially in terms of monumenta ) and articulating whether Tacitus believes that Roman virtus is truly dead or has merely found a new residence. In other words, the Summi Viri of Livy’s time appear to be dead and forgotten, but are they?