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<p>List of Illustrations vii</p> <p>Acknowledgments x</p> <p>Introduction 1</p> <p>1 Exemplary Romans in the Early Republic 9</p> <p>2 Working Men’s Heroes 34</p> <p>3 Rome and the Politics of Slavery 70</p> <p>4 Corporate Caesars and Radical Reformers 98</p> <p>5 Manifest Virtue 122</p> <p>6 The Pleasures of Empire 150</p> <p>7 Screening Rome During the Great Depression 186</p> <p>8 Cold War Romans 208</p> <p>9 Imperial Consumption 229</p> <p>Epilogue 253</p> <p>Bibliography 261</p> <p>Filmography 279</p> <p>Index 280</p>

"Malamud’s analysis provides a key to understanding why the US party system aligns itself with certain issues. To be read by all Americans, as history or a warning. [It is] not just another United States as New Rome, but [has] clear, meaningful comparisons. [It] clarifies our current political trajectory." (<i>About.com</i> (Ancient History Guide), November 2008)

<p>THE AUTHOR <p><b>MARGARET MALAMUD</b> is associate professor of ancient history and Islamic Studies at New Mexico State University. She is co-editor of <i>Imperial Projections: Ancient Rome in Modern Popular Culture</i> (2001).

<p><b>CLASSICAL</b> RECEPTIONS <p>ANCIENT ROME AND MODERN AMERICA <p>The idea of Rome as the virtuous Republic undermined by imperial corruption haunts the American imagination. In fact, Roman antiquity is arguably the most abiding cultural companion of the United States. Ever since the Revolutionary era, images and narratives of Rome have played a central role in shaping America's perception of itself. <p><i>Ancient Rome and Modern America</i> explores charged moments in United States history when ancient Rome has been appropriated by disparate groups in order to debate the state of the nation and address internal tensions and anxieties. It shows how portrayals of Rome have been used by various classes and interest groups both to articulate and to contest political and cultural identities. The malleability of tradition and the remarkable continuity of Rome in the American imagination emerge powerfully under Malamud's lens. <p>In this book, we learn as much about America's 'forgotten' history as we do about Rome. This text will appeal to readers interested in alternative views on US history, as well as to those interested in the uses of ancient Rome today.

"An excellent and stimulating overview of the abiding vitality of Rome as a model and inspiration for American culture, both high and popular. A pioneering work of remarkable range."<br /> –<b>Karl Galinsky</b>, University of Texas, Austin <p>"With a keen eye for popular culture, Malamud shows how Americans from Valley Forge to Caesars Palace have used ancient Rome to define themselves."<br /> –<b>Caroline Winterer</b>, Stanford University<br /> <br /> "Rome represents all that America wishes not to be and yet also mirrors its aspirations and pride. Malamud has adroitly revealed the multiplicity of American society that its patriotic and commercial images have often hidden."<br /> <i>–</i><b>Arthur Pomeroy</b>, Victoria University of Wellington</p>

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