Clio at the School of Rhetoric
Clio à l’école des rhéteurs
School Rhetoric and Imperial Historiography
Rhétorique d’école et écriture de l’histoire à l’époque impériale
Published on Thursday, May 07, 2026
Abstract
This conference aims to take a fresh look at the relationship between rhetoric and historiography within the imperial context (from the Augustan period to Late Antiquity), in light of the influence exerted on the Latin and Greek historiography of the period by school rhetoric (comprising preparatory exercises, progymnasmata, and declamations).
Announcement
Argument
Since the seminal work of A.J. Woodman (Rhetoric in Classical Historiography, 1988), the relationship between rhetoric and historiography in Antiquity has been discussed in numerous publications. In 2023, the conference “Rhetoric and Historiography: New Perspectives”, organised at the University of Notre Dame by E. Baragwanath, A. Feldherr, L. Grillo and C. Krebs, aimed to evaluate the results of such an approach in order to “reassess [its] merits and limitations”, as well as to explore its ever-renewed capacity to stimulate new research. Our conference aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the relationship between rhetoric and historiography within a limited chrono-cultural context, that of the Roman Empire, by focusing on the transformations that rhetorical training in imperial rhetorical schools brought about in the writing of history. Indeed, the influence of rhetorical exercises on historiography during the imperial period has not gone unnoticed (see bibliography), but studies have remained scattered, except perhaps in the case of ekphrasis, which has received particular attention (Sans and Webb, forthcoming).
The aim will therefore be to examine how rhetorical exercises (progymnasmata and declamations) were incorporated into the historiography of that period, and to analyse their forms and functions. Our conference aims at bringing together specialists in the various forms of historical narrative (annales, historiae, biography, epitomai, collections of exempla) in Latin and Greek during the Imperial period in the broadest sense, from the time of Augustus to Late Antiquity, that is when the practice of progymnasmata and declamations was gradually structured and developed (Pernot 2000, 192–207).
Within this framework, several complementary and non-exclusive perspectives will be explored.
1.Periodisation and chronology
Studies on the links between rhetoric and historiography generally focus on the “Imperial period”. This chronological delimitation often excludes the late Republican period and Late Antiquity, without these boundaries being properly questioned. Can we date and periodise the influence of rhetorical training on the writing of history? If so, could it be correlated with evolutions in the teaching of oratory in Rome and throughout the empire, and with the intellectual movements that followed, such as the ‘Second’ or ‘Third’ Sophistic? And what changes emerged in Late Antiquity, at a time when declamatory themes continued to circulate in historiography?
2. Vocabulary and definitions
How can rhetorical forms be identified within historiographical narratives ? Through which terms, turns of phrase, and more broadly, linguistic elements do historians incorporate into a work – which, strictly speaking, does not fall within the realm of rhetoric – rhetorical forms originally designed for the training of orators? Is the defining vocabulary of these oratorical forms, as found in the progymnasmata manuals, integrated into historiographical texts, or do they appear without being named?
Such questions lead to a broader examination of the autonomy that authors attributed to history as a specific literary practice. Can these rhetorical forms be linked to the metadiscursive passages which draw a clear distinction between the opus oratorium and the opus historicum?
3. Generic and geographical variations
Does the use of these rhetorical forms vary according to the “sub-genres” of historical narrative practised during the period in question – not only the continuous narrative of history in the annalistic tradition, universal history and historical monographs, but also biography, epitomai and collections of exempla?
Furthermore, does the rhetorical approach allow us to better understand the generic classification of hybrid works, such as those of Lucian or Claudius Aelianus?
The geographical criterion may be tested: although living in (and sometimes citizens of) the same Empire, do authors from its Eastern part and/or writing in Greek use rhetorical codes differently in their works compared to Latin authors?
4. Rhetoric and the internal structure of the works
Examining the structuring role played by rhetorical modules within historical works offers further fruitful perspectives. This kind of analysis may be conducted at various levels:
- at the general level of the work, first of all, by examining the structuring role of certain forms within an author’s overall composition;
- at the lower level of the units formed by books, lives, or major narrative sequences;
- on the smaller scale of narrative sequences;
- finally, at the level of the phrase or clause and their ordinatio, if we consider, for example, the conclusive function that maxims can fulfil.
5.Rhetoric and the material conditions of textual reception
During the imperial period, the oral reading of texts was very common, particularly in the context of recitationes. Recitationes aimed to elicit applause from the audience using striking virtuoso touches (Quint., I.O., 4.2.37). Can we detect these features in historiographical texts?
These oral performances required authors to pay special attention to keeping the audience engaged and refreshing their memories, all the more so as it involved a segmentation of the text, which was read aloud in sections. Can the insertion of rhetorical forms in historical narratives be explained by the specific modes of reception of literary texts during the imperial period?
6. Heuristics of rhetorical exercises
The use of rhetorical devices was traditionally viewed as aiming to embellish the narrative (ornatus). Might they, on the contrary, serve a heuristic function in support of the historian’s investigation and analysis of events? For example, refutation and confirmation taught students to critique the plausibility of a narrative (Quint., I.O., 2.18, with examples drawn from Livy). The synkrisis, meanwhile, far from being a merely formal exercise, trained future orators in a systematic method of comparison that structured reasoning (Goeken and Schneider 2021). Historiographical antilogies draw on the principle of disputatio in utramque partem, central to the exercises of thesis and then declamation, a principle which was also used as a tool for approaching the truth in some philosophical traditions (Cic., Tusc. 2.3.9; Vettori 2020).
7. Moral, civic and political education through rhetorical tropes
Exercises were an integral part of the moral and civic education of the imperial elites. Declamation, in particular, provided a public space for the projection of ethical and political dilemmas through fictional controversy (Langlands 2008). Some of the forms derived from rhetorical schools, by virtue of their intrinsic moral character, served to (re)affirm elitist values (consider the numerous maxims concerning women, the people, the army, the barbarians, etc.); others fit into expected political discourses, such as the critique of the tyrant through the theme of declamation in the Historia Augusta (Pageau 2015; see also Chazal 2021 on blame rhetoric in this work) or the praise of princes through parallels in the Premises of History by Fronton, a text close to historiographical conventions (Front., Princ. Hist., 7–21 and Fleury 2021). What political interpretation (in the broadest sense of the term) can be drawn from rhetorical forms in imperial historiography?
8.Towards a rhetorical delectare in historiography?
The taste for spectacular and sensational features that characterises declamation is reflected in the historical works most heavily influenced by school rhetoric. Can we document and explain the existence of a specific pleasure (delectare) emanating from rhetoric, which would be sought by imperial historians concerned with voluptas (as professed, for example, by Justin in his preface)? This aesthetic approach could, in particular, be explored through a specific study of themes (such as family conflicts and murders), characters (such as the nouerca), or common tropes found both in the imperial historiography and in the exercises (such as the paradox).
Date and venue
Date of the event: 20 to 22 January 2027
Venue: Sorbonne University
Submission guidelines
proposals of up to 1,000 words should be sent to louis.autin@sorbonne-universite.fr; melanie.lucciano@univ-rouen.fr; claire.perez@sorbonne-universite.fr by 27 September 2026. This conference aims to cover the entire imperial era up to Late Antiquity and the full diversity of forms taken by historical narrative in Latin and Greek during this period. Consequently, papers focusing on authors who have received little attention from this perspective will be particularly welcome.
Travel and accommodation costs for participants may be covered as far as possible, particularly for early-career researchers.
A conference proceedings volume will be considered following the event.
Organisers
- Louis Autin (Sorbonne Université, IUF),
- Mélanie Lucciano (University de Rouen Normandie, IUF),
- Claire Pérez (Sorbonne Université)
Scientific committee
- Eugenio Amato (Université de Nantes),
- Agnès Arbo (Université de Strasbourg),
- Alice Borgna (Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”),
- Alessandro Garcea (Sorbonne Université),
- Isabelle Gassino (Université de Rouen Normandie),
- Luca Grillo (University of Notre Dame),
- Charles Guérin (Sorbonne Université),
- Marie Ledentu (Université Lyon-III),
- Benoît Sans (Université de Rennes-II),
- Danielle van Mal-Maeder (Université de Lausanne),
- Ruth Webb (Université de Lille).
Subjects
- Prehistory and Antiquity (Main category)
- Mind and language > Language > Literature
- Periods > Prehistory and Antiquity > Roman history
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Sunday, September 27, 2026
Attached files
Keywords
- antiquité, Rome, historiographie, rhétorique, progymnasmata, déclamation
Contact(s)
- Louis Autin
courriel : louis [dot] autin [at] sorbonne-universite [dot] fr - Claire Pérez
courriel : claire [dot] perez [at] sorbonne-universite [dot] fr - Mélanie Lucciano
courriel : melanie [dot] lucciano [at] univ-rouen [dot] fr
Reference Urls
Information source
- Louis Autin
courriel : louis [dot] autin [at] sorbonne-universite [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Clio at the School of Rhetoric », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Thursday, May 07, 2026, https://doi.org/10.58079/166su
