In the ancient Mediterranean, representatives of kingdoms, city-states, and communities served as envoys in exchanges of inter-state communication and negotiation. These individuals and groups embodied the interests of their communities and in turn their movements, gestures, dress, and speech provide insights into diplomatic performance as an embodied practice. The display and communication of emotions, externalised for various audiences, was an important tool in the performance of diplomacy, which was just as important as any formal diplomatic content. This talk explores ideas of the spectacle of diplomacy and diplomatic actors in relation to ancient Rome, framing diplomacy as a form of theatre and performance. We will examine diplomacy as a socio-cultural performance through the various stages and staging, roles, costumes, scripts, and emotions deployed by diplomatic actors. The performance of diplomacy was just as important as any formal diplomatic content and this talk will reconstruct the vivid performances of representation and negotiation in the Roman world.

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