Gestures and Acclamations in Ancient Rome by Gregory S Aldrete

Gestures and Acclamations in Ancient Rome by Gregory S Aldrete

Life in Rome was relentlessly public and oratory was at its heart. In this in-depth study of oratorical gestures and crowd acclamations as methods of communication at public spectacles, the author seeks to recapture the original context of these interactive, dramatic and contentious public performances. At the most basic level, the book is a study of communication - how Roman speakers communicated with their audiences and how audiences in turn were able to reply and convey their reactions to the speakers. Aldrete begins by investigating how orators employed an extraordinarily sophisticated system of hand and body gestures in order to enhance the persuasive power of their speeches. He then turns to the target of these orations, the audience, and examines how they responded through the mechanism of acclamations, that is rhythmically shouted comments. The author finds that much in these ancient spectacles that is relevant to modern questions of political propaganda, manipulation of public image, crowd behaviour and speechmaking.

Gregory S. Aldrete is an assistant professor of humanistic studies (history) at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

SKU	Non disponible
ISBN 13	9780801861321
Titre	Gestures and Acclamations in Ancient Rome
Auteur	Gregory S Aldrete
Série	Ancient Society And History
État	Non disponible
Éditeur	Johns Hopkins University Press
Année de publication	1999-07-27
Nombre de pages	256
Note de couverture	La photo du livre est présentée à titre d'illustration uniquement. La reliure, la couverture ou l'édition réelle peuvent varier.
Note	Non disponible