Cambridge scholar revisits the dark side of Roman emperors in Geneva talk

Geneva: a conference on the dark image of the Roman emperors Keystone-SDA

As part of the Latsis University 2025 awards at the University of Geneva, Cambridge professor Mary Beard will give a lecture on how Roman authors depicted their emperors. She will challenge these long-standing portrayals of imperial power.

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From Tiberius “the hypocrite” to Commodus “the psychopath”, via Nero “the tyrant”, ancient texts convey a dark and authoritarian image of imperial power, according to the University of Geneva. Mary Beard, a specialist in antiquity, proposes to examine these portraits, at a time when the modern media regularly compare today’s rulers to Roman emperors.

+ Facing up to Switzerland’s Roman past

Entitled “Tyrants, bureaucrats and victims. Do the Roman emperors have anything to teach us?”, the lecture will be given in English with simultaneous interpretation into French on October 30 at at Uni Dufour, the main building of the University of Geneva.

It will be preceded by the presentation of the Latsis University AwardsExternal link, each worth CHF25,000 ($31,407) to four scientists whose research stands out for its excellence and originality.

Translated from French by DeepL/ds

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