In ancient Rome, insults in politics knew hardly any boundaries

(Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics") 52nd Meeting of German Historians examines abuses and 'hate speech' in all epochs -- Ancient historian Martin Jehne: personal attacks were common among Roman senators -- The people in the popular assembly were allowed to insult, but not be offended themselves -- 'Enormous division between rich and poor' -- 'Modern societies could need some Roman robustness in dealing with abuse'.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2BJqC4B