Literary Technique in the Roman History The Past, Present, and Future of Reading Cassius Dio

The present discussion examines the state of affairs with regard to Cassius Dio’s place in the Greek and Roman historiographical tradition. While Dio’s narrative composition and his political thought have been reevaluated as essential parts of his historiographical method, the study of literary aspects such as style, rhetoric, and intertextuality is still in its infancy. Closer attention to the way in which style and content are related is necessary in order to fully appreciate Dio’s intellectual project.