How was the Roman emperor viewed by his subjects? How strongly did their perception of his role shape his behaviour? Adopting a fresh approach, Panayiotis Christoforou focuses on the emperor from the perspective of his subjects across the Roman Empire. Stress lies on the imagination: the emperor was who he seemed, or was imagined, to be. Through various vignettes employing a wide range of sources, he analyses the emperor through the concerns and expectations of his subjects, which range from intercessory justice to fears of the monstrosities associated with absolute power. The book posits that mythical and fictional stories about the Roman emperor form the substance of what people thought about him, which underlines their importance for the historical and political discourse that formed around him as a figure. The emperor emerges as an ambiguous figure. Loved and hated, feared and revered, he was an object of contradiction and curiosity.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
'This book sheds new light on many-sided perceptions and manifold receptions of the Roman emperor across the boundaries of the Roman empire.' Martina Russo, Bollettino di studi latini
Sprache
Verlagsort
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
Worked examples or Exercises
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
Dicke: 15 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-009-36252-8 (9781009362528)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Panayiotis Christoforou is Departmental Lecturer in the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford, and at Oriel and Jesus Colleges.
Autor*in
University of Oxford
1. A History of the Roman Emperor; 2. The Emperor as an Arbiter of Justice; 3. The Generosity of the Roman Emperor; 4. Wonder Tales; 5. Wisdom and Wit: Making Fun of the Emperor; 6. The Permanence of an Emperor through Time, or the Emperor as a Temporal Figure.
