Beschreibung:
<jats:p xml:lang="en"> Scholarly assessments of the two-volume universal history of Velleius Paterculus have long been caught up in the debate over its value or genre. This approach fails to appreciate the work as a cultural document demonstrating the crucial generation (or reproduction) of imperial ideology by average Roman elites. In particular, a reassessment of Velleius's references to the festinatio (haste) and brevitas (concision) with which he writes provides unique insight into the intersection between a competitive literary culture in elite circles and political power. </jats:p>