over Catiline through their oratory without any mention of Cicero who had
assumed a major role in the resolution of this crisis in his role as consul. The
overall conclusion that was presented from this work was that the failure of the
Roman Republic was due to the effect of opposition parties within the senate
acting against each other. In ‘Bellum Iugurthinum’ (41-40BC) the rivalry
between factions is explored at the time of the war against the Numidian King
Jugurtha. Sallust introduced the theme of animosity between the Senate and the
common people in his work, blaming the powerful elite in power at the start of
the war for initial failures and then presenting the rise of the ‘novum homo’ Gaius
Marius as a victory for the people against the political elite but an action that
caused conflict and disaster for the city.
Sallust’s legacy is undoubtedly longstanding and his work has influenced history
by providing inspiration for other academics. In terms of antiquity, criticism by
commentators such as the biographer Livy has been outweighed by praise from
important classical scholars like the great historian Tacitus, the rhetorician
Quintilian and the poet Martial who referred to him in his ‘Epigrams’ as “the
prince of Roman historiographers”. Sallust also remained popular in later times,
especially in the Middle Ages, and was praised by figures such as Thomas More
and Friedrich Nietzsche with the latter attributing his style in his book ‘Twilight
of the Idols’ to the Roman historian.
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