Sallust was a Roman historian and political propagandist
who lived and worked during a time of
great unrest in the Roman world. The old order of
the Roman Republic was breaking down, and new
demagogic leaders, particularly Julius CAESAR, were
coming to power.
Sallust was born in the town of Amiternum.
Throughout much of his life, he played an important
role in the political events in Rome.As a member
of the Senate, he supported Caesar’s ambitions
and also served as the commander of one of Caesar’s
legions. For his loyalty, Caesar rewarded Sallust
by making him governor of Numidia, a
province in North Africa. As a governor, Sallust
was more interested in making money for himself
than in benefiting the people for whom he was ostensibly
responsible.After Caesar’s assassination in
44 B.C., Sallust fell out of favor and retired to his estate.
No longer directly involved in politics, he
turned his thoughts to intellectual pursuits and labored
on his scholarly projects until his death.
One of Sallust’s most important works is his
History of the Roman Republic, which was written
in five volumes, of which only fragments remain.
Despite its title, the work does not cover the history
of Rome, only the political unrest which Sallust
either participated in or witnessed.
Sallust’s best-known work is a monograph titled
The Conspiracy of Catiline, about the famous
events of 63 B.C. The conspiracy was an attempted
coup by Catiline, a disaffected Roman politician
who had failed to achieve high office through constitutional
means. He sought to raise a rebellion
against Rome, burn the city, and seize power in the
resulting chaos. In his monograph, Sallust details
the course of events during Catiline’s bid for power
and how the plot was defeated.
The style of Catiline is largely based on the writings
of THUCYDIDES, and it is also clear that much of
Sallust’s political philosophy comes from PLATO.
The historian emphasizes drama over accuracy
and seems to be more interested in telling a good
story than in telling a truthful one. Therefore, although
his writings are the best source of information
on the Catilinian conspiracy, many of its
details are questionable.
Furthermore, as Sallust had been deeply involved
in politics himself, his own personal feelings
clearly interfered with his presentation of
historical facts. As he had been allied with Caesar,
his depiction of Caesar’s opponents is highly negative,
aside from the famous statesman Cato,
whom Sallust seems to have respected. Sallust’s
style betrays a feeling of resentment toward those
with views different from his own, and much of
the material in his monograph seems to be simple
moralizing rather than historical reconstruction.
Sallust’s other important work, less famous than
Catiline, is another monograph called War against
Jugurtha, also known as History of the Jugurthine
War. Jugurtha was a North African king against
whom Rome fought a bitter and difficult war from
111 to 105 B.C., and it is through Sallust’s writings
that modern historians have a good understanding
of this war’s events. Nevertheless, as with the Catiline,
the account and details are biased.
Sallust’s writings are important for their historical
and literary significance. Despite their inaccuracies,
his works provide much valuable
information on the Roman world during a highly
confusing period. Sallust’s literary style, based
largely on earlier Greek writers such as Thucydides,
greatly influenced later authors. The Roman
historian TACITUS, in particular, clearly took much
of his stylistic inspiration from Sallust.
English Versions of Works by Sallust
Histories. Edited by Patrick McGushin. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1992.
The Jugurthine War and the Conspiracy of Catiline.
Translated by S. A. Hanford. New York: Penguin
Classics, 1978.
Works about Sallust
Syme, Ronald. Sallust. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 2002.
Wilkins, Ann Thomas. Villain or Hero: Sallust’s Portrayal
of Catiline. New York: Peter Lang Publishers,
1994.