Customer Reviews

Circus Factions Hb (Oxford University Press academic monograph reprints)

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If you have an interest in the infamous circus factions of the ancient Roman world--those much-maligned proto-sports-hooligans in blue and green--this book is an absolute must-read. A volume of impressive research, heavily referenced and footnoted, this book is the ultimate source on the subject. The author reviews every primary source we have on the factions and in the process, challenges some of the most common theories associated with them. The idea that the factions comprised a sort of urban militia for the cities of the Roman East is dismissed, as is the notion that the colors had religious significance. The now-archaic marxist theory that the factions were the manifestation of the urban proletariat is completely exploded.

Instead, Cameron draws a picture of the factions as they most probably were in reality--a relatively small (1,000 or less per color) group of lunatic sports enthusiasts and theater-maniacs. Though occasionally called upon to participate in the momentous events of the day, they most often spent their time wholly wrapped up in the microcosm of the Circus. When law and order broke down, they were often the first to take advantage of the situation, but they were rarely the cause of the breakdown in the first place.

My only minor quibble with this book is its treatment of the Nika Rebellion. I was left hoping that Cameron would have had more to say about this major outbreak of factional violence which nearly resulted in the abdication of the Emperor Justinian I. While Cameron does mention it, I came away feeling that his discussion of the Rebellion was superficial compared to the in depth analysis he provides for other events.

Another fragile and colorful thread has been restored to the ancient fabric of Mediterranean history.

The historical record of the Circus Factions is difficult. Cameron confronts the evidence as if it were warfare. When he determines that the translation of a single greek word has sparked a chain reaction of error Cameron thoroughly annihilates the error with pages, even whole chapeters of counter-evidence.

The Circus Factions are a microcosm of confrontation in an age of rooutine chaos. They beat the very pulse of strife for the sake of strife, of cheering or hating the New York Yankees, Manchester United, or Dallas Cowboys.

Cameron embraces the spirit of the Factions with a page one polemic blasting a previous effort as "a book whose spectacular marriage of traditional falsehood with original fantasy has put it beyond the reach of ordinary criticism". He backs it up convincingly.

Indeed, the factions survive in each one of us and we owe a great debt to Cameron for setting the surviving record straight.