Homines novi
Returning to the “Old” Virtus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63872/GXUE5444Keywords:
homo novus, Roman politics, social mobility, virtus, identityAbstract
The article analyzes the political and cultural role of the Roman homines novi—men who rose to senatorial rank without ancestral precedent. It examines how these figures constructed their identity through narratives of returning to the “old” virtus and how such rhetoric reinforced their political legitimacy. The evidence reveals that the homo novus simultaneously embodied the potential for social mobility and a challenge to the established elite. The study shows that in Roman political culture the discourse of tradition and innovation became closely intertwined in processes of identity formation.
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