Leah Kronenberg

This study examines the changing attitude of the Romans to Epicureanism from the time of its entry into Rome in the second century BC to its decline in the third century AD. It focuses on uncovering the Roman perceptions of this philosophy by analyzing the imagery and stereotypes associated with it in both written and visual media. Its overall goal will be to understand better why this philosophy was so frequently misrepresented and misunderstood, and to sort out what aspects of it were most threatening at different times in Roman history.