La revolución romana: pasado y presente de una concepción revolucionaria de la historia

Abstract

In 1939, Sir Ronald Syme published a work that revolutionized in many ways the history of ancient Rome: The Roman Revolution. The title still remains as a model for the period studied. Syme used the term “revolution” to explain the transition from Republic to Empire. The actors of this transition were only the members of the ruling elite. This vision was founded in prosopographical studies that Syme masterfully dominated. But, in the same way, Syme also forgot the groups considered more revolutionary (those excluded from the elite, especially the plebs). We reviewed here the validity of the concept “revolution” applied to the history of Rome.