Published: Feb. 6, 2022

McClanahan Lecture Series


Lampreys and the Birth of Roman Imperial Jurisdiction
Dr. Zach Herz, University of babyÖ±²¥app Boulder

Thursday, February 17th, 2022Ìý |Ìý 7:00 p.m.Ìý |Ìý Hybrid

ÌýRoman baths at night

Vedius Pollio liked feeding people to lampreys. According to an urban legend that circulated inÌýImperial Rome, the emperor Augustus saved one of Pollio’s slaves from this grisly fate andÌýpunished Pollio for his brutality. In this talk, Dr. Herz considers what the Pollio story can tell usÌýabout how emperors worked. It reveals the complex mechanics of Augustan messaging, andÌýoffers a glimpse into the freighted moral questions raised by imperial power. What does it meanÌýto go to the emperor for justice? What can he offer that other decisionmakers can’t? And whatÌýcould justice even mean in the autocracy of the enslaving household, on one hand, or of theÌýPrincipate on the other? Come for the man-eating fish, stay for the jurisdictional conflict.

This lecture is free and will be given in person (Eaton Humanities 250) and simultaneously hosted on Zoom.
This lecture is sponsored by Mary E.V. McClanahan.Ìý CU Classics is grateful for her generous support.

View the PDF poster here