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One of the great classicists of the twentieth century, Sir Ronald Syme (1903-1989) was among the earliest

to compare the consolidation of power by the Emperor Augustus with the rise of authoritarian regimes in

contemporary Europe. In light of his famed ability to process and present documentary evidence, it is all to

easy to overlook the fact that Syme was also a philologist of the highest order, with an exacting knowledge

of Latin and of Roman literature. In fact, his best works are marked by the intricate weaving of traditional

literary knowledge with epigraphic and prosopographic material.

Syme’s most extensive discussion of the relationship of Vergil’s poetry to the Augustan regime is found

in the chapters ‘The National Programme’ and ‘The Organization of Opinion’ of The Roman Revolution. Reference

to the poet is not limited to those sections of that book, however. Along with Horace, Vergil’s poetry

informs many of Syme’s observations about the development of Augustus’ rule throughout the latter half of

The Roman Revolution. Syme continued to discuss Vergil’s poetry as evidence for Augustus’ rule over the rest

of his career, not only in works dealing directly with that time period. His longstanding interest in elites and

provincials repeatedly brought him back to the Mantuan poet, however briefly. Accordingly the Augustan

poet appears frequently in diverse works such as Tacitus, Sallust, and Ammianus and the Historia Augusta, and

even has a cameo in the work of comparative imperial studies, Colonial Élites.

Coincidentally, Syme’s career corresponds almost exactly to the rise of authoritarianism as a subject of

study in political science and philosophy. All of his discussions of Vergil, Augustus, and authority except for

The Roman Revolution postdate the intellectual conversation around authoritarianism that blossomed after

the Second World War. By studying how Syme views the relationship between Vergil and Augustus, how

his view of that relationship changes or endures across his career, and how it relates to the larger academic

conversation about authoritarianism throughout the second half of the 20th century, we are able to observe

a brilliant mind at work on a brilliant poet within a broader intellectual environment.