Trauma in Ancient Rome

Abstract

This thesis investigates the representation—and conspicuous absence—of psychological combat trauma in ancient Roman literature. While Greek sources occasionally acknowledge the mental toll of warfare, Roman texts appear largely silent on the subject, even in genres where one might reasonably expect its presence, such as military treatises and epic poetry. This literary analysis examines a range of Roman authors, including Caesar, Vergil, and Am mianus Marcellinus, to explore what their works reveal about Roman societal attitudes to ward psychological trauma resulting from combat. The study’s central argument is that the scarcity of explicit references to such trauma is itself a meaningful phenomenon, reflecting cultural values and ideological constructs rather than a lack of psychological impact. The the sis concludes with a threefold observation: first, that references to combat trauma are notably rare; second, that this absence is striking given the nature of the sources; and third, that this silence points to a deliberate cultural suppression or reframing of psychological vulnerability within Roman martial discourse. Ultimately, the project asks what ancient literary sources can—and cannot—tell us about the awareness and articulation of combat-related trauma in Roman society.