Group minds in ancient narrative: Herodian’s history of the Roman Empire as a case study

Abstract

The present article adopts a cognitive approach to examine the representation of group minds in ancient narrative and show the specific purposes to which they are put. Herodian’s History of the Roman Empire, a work that illustrates the social and collective dimension of mental functioning, is chosen as a case study. After a brief exposition of the state of research on collective minds in narratology and literature, the present study first discusses the formation of group minds and their stability or mutability over the course of Herodian’s narrative. The next section explores the internal dynamics of group minds, focusing especially on instances of splitting which helpfully illuminate the problematic nature of the Roman principate after Marcus’ death. The final section draws on contemporary theories of philosophy of mind and the cognitive sciences and examines the way and extent that Herodian’s groups can be considered as ‘intentional agents’. In this regard, it is proposed that Herodian represents an approach to group agency that prefigures modern theory of ‘interpretivism’. Overall, the article suggests a novel way of studying ancient narrative, one that reconciles narratological and cognitive analysis with historical and political considerations by revealing the constitutive role of group minds in various aspects of the ancient social world.