The art of persuasion

"Is political propaganda intended to be deceitful? Is it just a means of persuasion, of informing its audience where their best interests lie? The Art of Persuasion boldly examines this difficult and controversial question in the context of Republican Rome. With references to the book's numerous illustrations, Jane Evans convincingly argues that the images with which Romans adorned the buildings they sponsored, the types they struck on their coins, and the works of art they commissioned began to contain self-promoting references considerably earlier than scholars have generally thought." "Through individual studies of famous legends--the wolf and twins, the founding of Rome by Aeneas--the author reveals that men were increasingly interested in tracing their descent from divinities, in claiming the noble charac-teristics[sic] of their putative ancestors, and in seeking other ways to improve their social standing and political opportunities. This important and controversial book will be of interest to students of Roman society and history, art historians, numismatists, and all those interested in the dynamics between those in power and those not."--BOOK JACKET.