Department of Classics
Department of Classics
A. J. Woodman

A. J. Woodman

Basil L. Gildersleeve Professor of Classics Emeritus
ajw6n@virginia.edu

Professor Woodman is the author of two volumes of commentary on Velleius Paterculus, of Rhetoric in classical historiography, of Latin historians (with C.S. Kraus), of Tacitus reviewed, of From poetry to history: selected papers, of Lost histories: selected fragments of Roman historical writers, and of award-winning translations of Sallust and Tacitus' Annals. He is author of a commentary on Horace, Odes Book III and author or co-author of commentaries on Tacitus Annals, Books III, IV, V-VI and Agricola. He is editor of The Cambridge Companion to Tacitus and co-editor of Quality and pleasure in Latin poetry, Creative imitation and Latin literature, Poetry and politics in the age of Augustus, Past perspectives: studies in Greek and Roman historical writing, Author and audience in Latin literature, Tacitus and the Tacitean tradition, Traditions and Contexts in the Poetry of Horace, Latin Historiography and Poetry in the Early Empire: Generic Interactions, Catullus: Poems, Books, Readers, Word and Context in Latin Poetry and The Cambridge Companion to Catullus.  His current projects include a new edition of Tacitus' Annals for the series Oxford Classical Texts; a commentary on Sallust, Bellum Catilinae, for the series Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics; and a new edition and translation of Velleius Paterculus for the Loeb Classical Library.

 

Research Interests

My research interests are in Latin historiography, especially Sallust and Tacitus, and in late-republican and Augustan poetry, especially Catullus and Horace.

 

Selected Publications

Books (Author)

  • Velleius Paterculus: the Tiberian Narrative. Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries. Cambridge University Press, 1977
  • Velleius Paterculus: the Caesarian and Augustan Narrative. Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries. Cambridge University Press, 1983
  • Rhetoric in Classical Historiography: Four Studies. Croom Helm, 1988
  • Tacitus: Annals IV. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics. Cambridge University Press, 1989, often repr. (jointly with R.H. Martin)
  • The Annals of Tacitus Book 3. Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries. Cambridge University Press, 1996 (jointly with R.H. Martin)
  • Latin Historians. Greece & Rome New Surveys in the Classics No. 27. Oxford University Press, 1997 (jointly with C.S. Kraus)
  • Tacitus Reviewed. Oxford University Press, 1998
  • Tacitus: The Annals. (Annotated translation.) Hackett, 2004, rev. 2008 (‘Outstanding Academic Title’, Choice 2005)
  • Sallust: Catiline’s War,The Jugurthine War, Histories. (Annotated translation.) Penguin, 2007 (‘Outstanding Academic Title’, Choice 2008; Finalist in the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) National Translation Award, Fall 2009)
  • From Poetry to History: Selected Papers. Oxford University Press, 2012
  • Tacitus: Agricola. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics. Cambridge University Press, 2014 (with contributions from C.S. Kraus)
  • Lost Histories. Selected Fragments of Roman Historical Writers. Histos Supplementary Volume 2 (2015)
  • The Annals of Tacitus Books 5 and 6. Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries. Cambridge University Press, 2016
  • The Annals of Tacitus Book 4. Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries. Cambridge University Press, 2018
  • Horace: Odes Book III. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics, Cambridge University Press, 2022

Books (Editor)

  • Quality and Pleasure in Latin Poetry. (Jointly with David West.) Cambridge University Press, 1974
  • Creative Imitation and Latin Literature. (Jointly with David West.) Cambridge University Press, 1979
  • Poetry and Politics in the Age of Augustus. (Jointly with David West.) Cambridge University Press, 1984
  • Past Perspectives: Studies in Greek and Roman Historical Writing. (Jointly with I.S. Moxon and J.D. Smart.) Cambridge University Press, 1986
  • Author and Audience in Latin Literature. (Jointly with J.G.F. Powell.) Cambridge University Press, 1992
  • Tacitus and the Tacitean Tradition. (Jointly with T.J. Luce.) Princeton University Press, 1993
  • Papers of the Leeds International Latin Seminar:  Volume 8.  (Jointly with R.W. Brock.) Francis Cairns Publications, 1995
  • Traditions and Contexts in the Poetry of Horace. (Jointly with D.C. Feeney.) Cambridge University Press, 2002
  • The Cambridge Companion to Tacitus. Cambridge University Press, 2009
  • Latin Poetry and Historiography in the Early Empire: Generic Interactions. (Jointly with J.F. Miller.) Brill, 2010
  • Catullus: Poems, Books, Readers. (Jointly with I.M.Le M. Du Quesnay.) Cambridge University Press, 2012
  • Word and Context in Latin Poetry. (Jointly with J. Wisse.) Cambridge Classical Journal Supplementary Volume 40, 2017
  • The Cambridge Companion to Catullus. (Jointly with I.M.Le M. Du Quesnay.) Cambridge University Press, 2021

Other Selected Publications

  • Poems to Historians: Catullus 1 and Horace, Odes 2.1: Myth, History and Culture in Republican Rome: Studies in Honour of T.P. Wiseman (2003) 191-216
  • Tiberius and the Taste of Power: the Year 33 in Tacitus: Sir Ronald Syme Memorial Lecture 2002 (Victoria University, Wellington, 2003)
  • Textual Notes on Tacitus’ Annals: Proceedings of the Langford Latin Seminar 12 (2005) 321-9
  • Tiberius and the Taste of Power: the Year 33 in Tacitus: Classical Quarterly 56 (2006) 175-89:
  • Catullus 51: a Suitable Case for Treatment?: Classical Quarterly 56 (2006) 610-11
  • Mutiny and Madness: Tacitus, Annals 1.16-49: Arethusa 39 (2006) 303-29
  • Three Notes on Sallust: Classical Journal 102 (2007) 221-4
  • Readers and Reception: a Text Case: A Companion to Greek and Roman Historiography (2007) 133-44
  • Cicero on historiography: De Oratore 2.51-64: Classical Journal 104 (2008) 23-32
  • Horace and Historians: Cambridge Classical Journal [PCPS] 55 (2009) 161-71
  • Virgil, Eclogues 4.28-9: Classical Quarterly 60 (2010) 257-8
  • Community Health: Metaphors in Latin Historiography: Papers of the Langford Latin Seminar 14 (2010) 43-61
  • Aliena Facundia: Seneca in Tacitus: Form and Function in Roman Oratory (ed. D.H. Berry & A. Erskine, 2010) 294-308
  • Cicero and the Writing of History: Greek and Roman Historiography: Oxford Readings in Classical Studies  (ed. J. Marincola, 2011) 241-90
  • Nero’s Alien Capital: Tacitus as Paradoxographer: Oxford Readings in Tacitus (ed. R. Ash, 2012) 315-36
  • A Covering Letter: Poem 65: Catullus: Poems, Books, Readers (2012) 130-52
  • A note on Res Gestae 34.3: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 187 (2013) 154-5
  • Tacitus and Germanicus: monuments and models: Fame and Infamy. Essays for Christopher Pelling on Characterization in Greek and Roman Biography and Historiography (ed. R. Ash et al., 2015) 255-68
  • Problems in Horace, Epode 11: Classical Quarterly 65 (2015) 673-81
  • A Caesarian Analogy: Classical Quarterly 66 (2016) 400-2
  • Vinous Voices: Horace’s Ninth Epode: Word and Context in Latin Poetry. Cambridge Classical Journal Supplementary Volume 40 (2017) 43-60
  • O matre pulchra: The Logical Iambist: Classical Quarterly 68 (2018) 192-8
  •  Numerosus Horatius?: Classical Quarterly 69 (2019) 911-12
  •  Ennius’ Annals and Tacitus’ Annals : Ennius’ Annals: poetry and history (ed. C. Damon and J. Farrell, 2020) 228-39
  • Horace’s ‘Roman Odes’ : Classical Journal 115 (2020) 276-82
  • Now that April’s there: Horace, Odes 3.18: Greece & Rome 67 (2020) 247-53
  • Catullus and his poet friends: Ancient Exchanges: Journal of Literary Translation 1 (Autumn 2020)
  • Sallust and Catiline: Conspiracy Theories: Historia 70 (2021) 55-68
  • Cicero and Sallust: Debating Death: Histos 15 (2021) 1-21
  • Horace’s Monument: Cambridge Classical Journal 67 (2021) 164-9
  • Horatiana: Papers of the Langford Latin Seminar 18 (2021) 43-67
  • Moving Livy: Histos 15 (2001) 283-8
  • Sourcing the Neronia: Tacitus, Annals 14.20-1 : Histos 16 (2022) 34-41
  • Horace’s Second Ode : Museum Helveticum 79 (2022) 55-76
  • Myth and history in Livy’s Preface : The Authoritative Historian: Tradition and Innovation in Ancient Historiography. Essays in Honour of John Marincola (ed. K.S. Kingsley, G. Monti and T. Rood, 2022) 82-97
  • Problems in Tacitus, Annals 16 : Emperor, army, and society. Studies in Roman imperial history for Anthony R. Birley (ed. W. Eck et al., 2022) 351-62
  • Virgil and Sallust : Classical Quarterly 73 (2023) 944-9
  • Entries on: annales, The Annals, inuentio, Sallust, Style, Syntax, Tacitus : Tacitus Encyclopedia (ed. V.E. Pagán, 2023)
  • Quintilian on Sallust and Livy : Histos 17 (2023) 198-204
  • Cicero and the end of Lentulus (cos. 71 BC) : Historia 73 (2024) 74-81