Sallust

Sallust was a Roman historian and politician of the first century BCE. His surviving works use episodes from the late Republic to examine ambition, moral decline, and political conflict.

Roman Republic: The period of ancient Roman government before the establishment of the Roman Empire. Sallust wrote about the Republic's political breakdown and its struggle for power.
The Conspiracy of Catiline: Sallust's monograph on Catiline's attempted revolt against the Roman Republic in 63 BCE. This account is his best-known study of ambition, conspiracy, and civic crisis.
Roman moralizing history: A mode of historical writing that explains events through judgments about virtue, vice, and civic conduct. Sallust interprets political change through moral decline rather than treating events as neutral records.
Julius Caesar: A Roman general and politician who became dictator during the Republic's final crisis. Sallust supported Caesar and later held provincial office under his rule.
Roman historiography: The writing and study of history in ancient Rome. Sallust adapted Roman historical writing into a sharp, moral analysis of political events.
The Jugurthine War: Sallust's monograph on Rome's war against King Jugurtha of Numidia, fought from 112 to 105 BCE. Its account of bribery and military failure traces corruption before Catiline's conspiracy.
Roman historical speeches: Invented or reconstructed speeches used by Roman historians to interpret historical actors and events. His speeches dramatize competing motives and make political choices explicit.
Cicero: A Roman orator, statesman, and philosopher who defended the Republic during the first century BCE. His contemporary account of Catiline's conspiracy offers a contrasting perspective to Sallust's monograph.
Roman Senate: Rome's leading political council, composed chiefly of former magistrates. Senatorial power and factional rivalry shape the political world of his histories.
Histories of Sallust: Sallust's fragmentary history of Rome from 78 to 67 BCE. Its surviving fragments extend his analysis of conflict beyond his two complete monographs.

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