Paideia and social ascension in Roman Africa: the life of Apuleius from Madaura (2nd Century A.D.)

Abstract

The comeback of biographical studies in the last decades opens new possibilities of research in what concerns Ancient History. That shows how complex the action of individuals in ancient societies was. Within this perspective, our investigation will focus on the life of Apuleius from Madauros, in order to perceive the importance of Greek-Roman paideia as a fundamental element of social insertion for North-African elites in Roman imperial society. In general terms, the biography of Apuleius could be understood as a model case in the heart of local urban aristocracies, offering us an example of the way in which this group, through the instruction in paideia, experienced social ascension and grasp the new possibilities opened by the advent of Roman domination in that region.

Keywords

• Roman empire
• Proconsular Africa
• biography
• Apuleius from Madauros
• paideia.