Download or read book Western Aristocracies and Imperial Court A D 364 425 written by John Frederick Matthews and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Empire of the Romans written by John Matthews and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-01-20 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wide-ranging survey of the history of the Roman Empire—from its establishment to decline and beyond Empire of the Romans, from Julius Caesar to Justinian provides a sweeping historical survey of the Roman empire. Uncommonly expansive in its chronological scope, this unique two-volume text explores the time period encompassing Julius Caesar’s death in 44 BCE to the end of Justinian’s reign six centuries later. Internationally-recognized author and scholar of Roman history John Matthews balances broad historical narrative with discussions of important occurrences in their thematic contexts. This integrative approach helps readers learn the timeline of events, understand their significance, and consider their historical sources. Defining the time period in a clear, yet not overly restrictive manner, the text reflects contemporary trends in the study of social, cultural, and literary themes. Chapters examine key points in the development of the Roman Empire, including the establishment of empire under Augustus, Pax Romana and the Antonine Age, the reforms of Diocletian and Constantine, and the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Discussions of the Justinianic Age, the emergence of Byzantium, and the post-Roman West help readers understand the later Roman world and its impact on the subsequent history of Europe. Written to be used as standalone resource or in conjunction with its companion Volume II: Selective Anthology, this innovative textbook: Combines accessible narrative exposition with thorough examination of historical source material Provides well-rounded coverage of Roman economy, society, law, and literary and philosophical culture Offers content taken from the author’s respected Roman Empire survey courses at Yale and Oxford University Includes illustrations, maps and plans, and chapter-by-chapter bibliographical essays Empire of the Romans, from Julius Caesar to Justinian is a valuable text for survey courses in Roman history as well as general readers interested in the 600 year time frame of the empire.
Download or read book The Roman Imperial Court in the Principate and Late Antiquity written by Caillan Davenport and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2023-09-23 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Roman Imperial Court in the Principate and Late Antiquity examines the Roman imperial court as a social and political institution in both the Principate and Late Antiquity. By analysing these two periods, which are usually treated separately in studies of the Roman court, it considers continuities, changes, and connections in the six hundred years between the reigns of Augustus and Justinian. Thirteen case studies are presented. Some take a thematic approach, analysing specific aspects such as the appointment of jurists, the role of guard units, or stories told about the court, over several centuries. Others concentrate on specific periods, individuals, or office holders, like the role of women and generals in the fifth century AD, while paying attention to their wider historical significance. The volume concludes with a chapter placing the evolution of the Roman imperial court in comparative perspective using insights from scholarship on other Eurasian monarchical courts. It shows that the long-term transformation of the Roman imperial court did not follow a straightforward and linear course, but came about as the result of negotiation, experimentation, and adaptation.
Download or read book Child Emperor Rule in the Late Roman West AD 367 455 written by Meaghan A. McEvoy and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-05-02 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, McEvoy explodes the myth that the remarkable phenomenon of the late Roman child-emperor reflected mere dynastic sentiment or historical accident. Tracing the course of the frequently tumultuous, but nevertheless lengthy, reigns of young western emperors in the years AD 367-455, she looks at the way in which the sophistication of the Roman system made their accessions and survival possible. The book highlights how these reigns allowed for individual generals to dominate the Roman state and in what manner the crucial role of Christianity, together with the vested interests of various factions within the imperial elite, contributed to a transformation of the imperial image - enabling and facilitating the adaptation of existing imperial ideology to portray boys as young as six as viable rulers. It also analyses the struggles which ensued upon a child-emperor reaching adulthood and seeking to take up functions which had long been delegated during his childhood. Through the phenomenon of child-emperor rule, McEvoy demonstrates the major changes taking place in the nature of the imperial office in late antiquity, which had significant long-term impacts upon the way the Roman state came to be ruled and, in turn, the nature of rulership in the early medieval and Byzantine worlds to follow.
Download or read book Boethius Consolation of Philosophy as a Product of Late Antiquity written by Antonio Donato and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-09-12 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last fifty years the field of Late Antiquity has advanced significantly. Today we have a picture of this period that is more precise and accurate than before. However, the study of one of the most significant texts of this age, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, has not benefited enough from these advances in scholarship. Antonio Donato aims to fill this gap by investigating how the study of the Consolation can profit from the knowledge of Boethius' cultural, political and social background that is available today. The book focuses on three topics: Boethius' social/political background, his notion of philosophy and its sources, and his understanding of the relation between Christianity and classical culture. These topics deal with issues that are of crucial importance for the exegesis of the Consolation. The study of Boethius' social/political background allows us to gain a better understanding of the identity of the character Boethius and to recognize his role in the Consolation. Examination of the possible sources of Boethius' notion of philosophy and of their influence on the Consolation offers valuable instruments to evaluate the role of the text's philosophical discussions and their relation to its literary features. Finally, the long-standing problem of the lack of overt Christian elements in the Consolation can be enlightened by considering how Boethius relies on a peculiar understanding of philosophy's goal and its relation to Christianity that was common among some of his predecessors and contemporaries.
Download or read book The Emergence of Christianity written by Cynthia White and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This brief survey text tells the story of early Christianity. Cynthia White explores the emergence of Christianity in Rome during the first four centuries of the Greco-Roman empire, from the first followers of Jesus Christ, to conflicts between Christians and Jewish kings under Roman occupation, to the torture of Christian followers, Diocletian's reforms, and Constantine's eventual conversion to monotheism, which cemented Christianity's status as the official religion of Rome. The text's chapters will integrate key pedagogy, including introductions, study questions, textboxes, photos, maps, suggested readings, and a glossary and timeline.
Download or read book Social and Political Life in Late Antiquity Volume 3 1 written by William Bowden and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2006-12-31 with total page 687 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of papers, arising from the conference series Late Antique Archaeology, examines the social and political structures of the late antique period and the ways in which they are manifested in the archaeological and textual record.
Download or read book Gaining and Losing Imperial Favour in Late Antiquity written by Kamil Cyprian Choda and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2019-10-07 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume Gaining and Losing Imperial Favour in Late Antiquity studies fundamental dynamics of the political culture of the Later Roman Empire (4th and 5th centuries A.D.) by examining how people rose in and fell from the emperor’s favour.
Download or read book The Religious World of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus written by Jill Mitchell and published by Trivent Publishing. This book was released on 2021-12-31 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Religious World of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus examines the religious life of one of the last pagan senators of Rome, dates c. 340-402, who lived in a tumultuous time during the Late Antique period of the Roman Empire, dying just a few years before the Western Empire began to break up. Symmachus could not have imagined the political reality developing so soon after his death, so he is important as a late example of the old Roman Western aristocracy, as well as one of the last pagans of Rome. He was regarded as the foremost orator of his time and was a prolific letter-writer who had correspondents in high places and throughout the Empire. He also filled the posts of Urban Prefect of Rome and Consul - and was the opponent of Bishop Ambrose of Milan during the so-called 384 CE "Altar of Victory Dispute," which was one episode of many leading to the " triumph" of Christianity over traditional Roman polytheism. Symmachus' cache of 900 private letters and his official despatches while Urban Prefect have provided the raw material for this book.
Download or read book The Roman Empire of Ammianus written by John Matthews and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Matthews' brilliant analysis of Ammianus and his world is foundational for the study of the Roman Empire in the fourth century CE. Matthews' Ammianus is a man very much in touch with his times, engaged in many of the exciting events that he describes, and a commentator motivated by a passionate devotion to justice. The empire that he depicts in The Roman Empire of Ammianus is undergoing a profoundly important intellectual transition as Christians and non-Christians dealt with each other in new ways, and a profoundly important political transition as Rome's ability to control its frontiers was severely challenged. This new edition of the volume offers a new Introduction by the author, and corrections to the original text. In Matthews' brilliantly researched and compellingly written pages we encounter brigands, philosophers, bishops, barbarians and one of the most extraordinary figures in all of Roman history: the Emperor Julian, who occupies for Matthews - as he did for Ammianus - a central place in the history of these times. Ammianus has been recognized for centuries as the last great historian of the Classical Latin tradition. It is thanks to Matthews that we can at last begin to appreciate the brilliance and complexity of the tapestry he wove with his words. Praise for this volume: "It is a book that can emphatically be read by the non-specialist... but can be digested at length by the specialist as well. Tacitus without the cattiness? Thucydides without the cynicism? Ammianus has no such vices, and the range and humane curiosity that make him a fit companion for a scholar like Matthews. They work well together." - Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Download or read book The Sons of Constantine AD 337 361 written by Nicholas Baker-Brian and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-05-30 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection focuses on the Roman empire during the period from AD 337 to 361. During this period the empire was ruled by three brothers: Constantine II (337-340), Constans I (337-350) and Constantius II (337-361). These emperors tend to be cast into shadow by their famous father Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor (306-337), and their famous cousin Julian, the last pagan Roman emperor (361-363). The traditional concentration on the historically renowned figures of Constantine and Julian is understandable but comes at a significant price: the neglect of the period between the death of Constantine and the reign of Julian and of the rulers who governed the empire in this period. The reigns of the sons of Constantine, especially that of the longest-lived Constantius II, mark a moment of great historical significance. As the heirs of Constantine they became the guardians of his legacy, and they oversaw the nature of the world in which Julian was to grow up. The thirteen contributors to this volume assess their influence on imperial, administrative, cultural, and religious facets of the empire in the fourth century.
Download or read book Constantius III written by Ian Hughes and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-01-31 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed historian “rescues from an undeserved obscurity one of Rome’s emperors . . . A simply fascinating and extraordinary historical study” (Midwest Book Review). Constantius is an important, but almost forgotten, figure. He came to the fore in or around 410 when he was appointed Magister Militum (Master of Troops) to Honorius, the young Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. His predecessor, Stilicho, had been murdered by his own troops and much of Gaul and Hispania had been overrun by barbarians or usurpers. One by one Constantius eliminated the usurpers and defeated or came to terms with the various invading groups. Most notoriously, he allowed the Visigoths to settle in Gaul in return for their help in defeating the Vandals and Alans who had seized parts of Hispania, a decision with far-reaching consequences. Constantius married Honorius’ sister and was eventually proclaimed his co-emperor. However, the Eastern Roman Emperor, Honorius’ nephew, refused to accept his appointment and Constantius was preparing a military expedition to enforce this recognition when he died suddenly, having been emperor for just seven months. Ian Hughes considers his career, assessing his actions in the context of the difficult situation he inherited.
Download or read book Leo the Great and the Spiritual Rebuilding of a Universal Rome written by Susan Wessel and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2008-11-30 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leo the Great responded to the crisis of the western empire by replacing secular Rome with a Christian universal Rome that could survive its political demise. His humanitarian theology emphasizing the human nature of Christ made this universal Rome legitimate.
Download or read book The Early Medieval World 2 volumes written by Michael Frassetto and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines a pivotal period in ancient human history: the fall of the Roman Empire and the birth of a new European civilization in the early Middle Ages. The Early Medieval World: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne addresses the social and material culture of this critical period in the evolution of Western society, covering the social, political, cultural, and religious history of the Mediterranean world and northern Europe. The two-volume set explains how invading and migrating barbarian tribes—spurred by raiding Huns from the steppes of Central Asia—contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and documents how the blending of Greco-Roman, Germanic, and Christian cultures birthed a new civilization in Western Europe, creating the Christian Church and the modern nation-state. A-Z entries discuss political transformation, changing religious practices in daily life, sculpture and the arts, material culture, and social structure, and provide biographies of important men and women in the transitional period of late antiquity. The work will be extremely helpful to students learning about the factors that contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire—an important and common topic in world history curricula.
Download or read book From the Tetrarchs to the Theodosians written by Scott McGill and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An integrated collection of essays examining the politics, social networks, law, historiography, and literature of the later Roman world. The volume treats three central themes: the first section looks at political and social developments across the period and argues that, in spite of the stress placed upon traditional social structures, many elements of Roman life remained only slightly changed. The second section focuses upon biographical texts and shows how late-antique authors adapted traditional modes of discourse to new conditions. The final section explores the first years of the reign of Theodosius I and shows how he built upon historical foundations while unfurling new methods for utilising, presenting, and commemorating imperial power. These papers analyse specific events and local developments to highlight examples of both change and continuity in the Roman world from 284–450.
Download or read book From Polis to Empire The Ancient World c 800 B C A D 500 written by Andrew G. Traver and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2001-09-30 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering the very beginnings of Western civilization, this biographical dictionary introduces readers to the great cultural figures of the ancient world, including those who contributed significantly to architecture, astronomy, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, painting, sculpture, and theology. While focusing on great cultural figures of the Mediterranean basin, such as Homer, Sophocles, and Aristophanes, the volume also includes those who impinged on Greco-Roman Civilization such as Hannibal Barca and King Darius of Persia. Showing how the era's intellectual milieu was interwoven with its political agenda, the book also includes entries on major political and military figures, pointing to their cultural as well as their political contributions. With 480 entries, the book is an excellent basic reference for students seeking an understanding of the ancient world. Going from polis to empire, the years from 800 BC to AD 500 include the archaic period of the eastern Mediterranean, the Greek classical period, the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, and Rome's evolution from a republic to an empire dominating the entire Western world. A Jewish carpenter, living at the edge of the Roman Empire, preached a message with profound implications for the Roman State and Western religion. Providing a quick and easy reference to people who lived in this world, this book profiles the men and women who contributed to the development, growth, and culture of Western civilization. Most of the subjects were native to the Mediterranean basin, including Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, southern Gaul, Spain, North Africa, and Phoenicia, but the book also includes important Persians, Celts, Germanic peoples, and Huns. The book provides valuable background information for anyone interested in the birth of Western culture.
Download or read book Transformations of Late Antiquity written by Manolis Papoutsakis and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-12-05 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on a simple dynamic: the taking in hand of a heritage, the variety of changes induced within it, and the handing on of that legacy to new generations. Our contributors suggest, from different standpoints, that this dynamic represented the essence of 'late antiquity'. As Roman society, and the societies by which it was immediately bounded, continued to develop, through to the late sixth and early seventh centuries, the interplay between what needed to be treasured and what needed to be explored became increasingly self-conscious, versatile, and enriched. By the time formerly alien peoples had established their 'post-classical' polities, and Islam began to stir in the East, the novelties were more clearly seen, if not always welcomed; and one witnesses a stronger will to maintain the momentum of change, of a forward reach. At the same time, those in a position to play now the role of heirs were well able to appreciate how suited to their needs the 'Roman' past might be, but how, by taking it up in their turn, they were more securely defined and yet more creatively advantaged. 'Transformation' is a notion apposite to essays in honour of Peter Brown. 'The transformation of the classical heritage' is a theme to which he has devoted, and continues to devote, much energy. All the essays here in some way explore this notion of transformation; the late antique ability to turn the past to new uses, and to set its wealth of principle and insight to work in new settings. To begin, there is the very notion of what it meant to be 'Roman', and how that notion changed. Subsequent chapters suggest ways in which fundamental characteristics of Roman society were given new form, not least under the impact of a Christian polity. Augustine, naturally, finds his place; and here the emphasis is on the unfettered stance that he took in the face of more broadly held convictions - on miracles, for example, and the errors of the pagan past. The discussion then moves on to
