L'invidia nella Storia romana di Velleio Patercolo

This contribution examines the meaning and function of the concept of invidia in Velleius Paterculus’ Roman History. Through a systematic analysis of lexical occurrences and narrative contexts, it demonstrates that invidia is consistently associated with situations of excessive political and military pre-eminence and, for this reason, emerges as a sentiment that characterises almost exclusively the viri militares of the last century of the Republic, while disappearing with the advent of the Principate. As a sincere admirer of the new regime, Velleius was influenced by Augustan propaganda concerning the restoration of political concord and actively promoted it. From this perspective, reflection on invidia becomes a revealing interpretative key for understanding Velleius’ view of the transition from the Republican to the Imperial age.