By applying the concept of "anchoring innovation" to multiple synchronic sources, this study shows how much similarity there is in "anchor-shaping" amongst different members of the sixth-century...Show moreBy applying the concept of "anchoring innovation" to multiple synchronic sources, this study shows how much similarity there is in "anchor-shaping" amongst different members of the sixth-century Roman elite. Roman law and education were important markers of romanness around the traditionalist court of the Ostrogothic king Theoderic. Cassiodorus, Ennodius and the anonymous author of the Edictum Theoderici all used these traditional concepts as weapons in their struggle for social power. Education (including juridical skills) led to a self-made form of nobility, which implied worldly power. Further research on the social functioning of normative texts could increase our understanding of the power of tradition in rhetorical communication and the possibilities of this "prescriptive negotiation" for social networks.Show less
The Ravenna Papyri is a set of documents from Late Antiquity. The documents provide insight into the system and structure of land ownership in this rather understudied period (445 AD - 700 AD)....Show moreThe Ravenna Papyri is a set of documents from Late Antiquity. The documents provide insight into the system and structure of land ownership in this rather understudied period (445 AD - 700 AD). This study examines both the social and economic aspects of the papyri, with an emphasis on (1) the organization of agriculture in the sources, (2) the social structure of landowners and those who are connected to landholdings (often by working on it as tenant), and (3) how landholdings circulated (between owners).Show less
Emperor Justinian (r.527 to 565) was one of the most famous and infamous emperors of Late Antiquity. One of his most remarkable qualities had been his legislative fervour. Early on, he had...Show moreEmperor Justinian (r.527 to 565) was one of the most famous and infamous emperors of Late Antiquity. One of his most remarkable qualities had been his legislative fervour. Early on, he had completed what would later be called the Corpus Iuris Civilis, incorporating the Codex, the Digesta and the Institutiones. However, in the wake of this Corpus, his reign produced another 155 ‘new laws’ that have not yet received the scholarly attention they deserve. This thesis has taken these Novellae seriously as a corpus of its own and has explored how we should understand this multitude of laws in their socio-political context and how these innovations were anchored in a sixth-century worldview. The Novellae performed a multi-layered balancing act between tradition and innovation, subject and emperor, and being shaped by and shaping society. However, these laws singled out one person whose presence invaded every corner of the text: the emperor. He was ruler of the eternal Roman Empire and Christian father of the people. In the end, he knew what was best.Show less
This paper seeks to give a plausible range of population figures for second century A.D. Antioch in Roman Syria. The first chapter estimates the physical extent of the city and its suburbs. The...Show moreThis paper seeks to give a plausible range of population figures for second century A.D. Antioch in Roman Syria. The first chapter estimates the physical extent of the city and its suburbs. The second chapter studies the size and productivity of Antioch’s territory. On the basis of urbanisation rates, urban and rural population densities and ‘carrying capacity’ various scenarios are sketched to determine more and less likely figures. In the final chapter several ideas are considered towards explaining the population of Antioch and its hinterland.Show less
The study of the relation between acculturation and identity in the Roman world has come a long way in the last couple of decades. The renewed emphasis on exploring discrepant experiences has...Show moreThe study of the relation between acculturation and identity in the Roman world has come a long way in the last couple of decades. The renewed emphasis on exploring discrepant experiences has enabled us to better appreciate the myriad ways in which the empire’s inhabitants where part of a single political continuum, yet each partaking in its ongoing creation on their own terms, adapting elements from their own cultural matrices in the face of imperial realities, duties, possibilities and limits. As a result - although we are somewhat freed from the overly simplistic paradigm of ‘Romanisation’ - studying the formulation of identity in the Roman Empire has become an ever more complex business. One discrepant experience which we are familiar with is the one lived by the author Lucian of Samosata. He was one of the main exponents of the cultural movement known as the Second Sophistic, a period of cultural revival and renewed self-awareness throughout the Greek east - now subjugated but unified by Rome. Like many of his contemporaries, his intimate attachment to Greek culture and its classical heritage did not exclude him from recognizing himself as a loyal and engaged citizen of the empire, enjoying the securities and chances the larger Roman world had to offer. That being said, his The Wisdom of Nigrinus remains one of Lucian’s more obscure works - in more ways than one. At face value, the words of his fictional philosopher could be viewed as those of a dissenter, forming a rousing anti-Roman pamphlet, a philosophical treatise that is potentially legible as a sophist’s rallying cry for Greek resistance against Roman rule and imperial society. However, considering Lucian’s notorious penchant for satire, the authoritative tone of the dialogue’s main voice doesn’t sit well with our expectations of the author. All things considered, the ambiguous Nigrinus dialogue yields important information about the state of the intercultural dialogue between Rome and the Greek east. At the same time, the dialogue stands as a testament to Lucian’s skill in imitating and experimenting with classical formats of literature, tying his reflections on high imperial society to the large repository of images of the classical world, creating a narrative universe in which contemporary satire is injected with a dose of cultural heritage that adds a sense of purpose and history to it. It is the general aim of this essay to map the multiple avenues available to construct a cohesive sense of identity within the Roman Empire in the second century C.E., specifically as they are explored by Lucian. Aside from evaluating the dialogue’s subject-matter, I have sought to dissect the lineage and effect of the form and style which Lucian has used in its composition. To this end, I have drawn from the various theoretical models that have been formulated in an attempt to reinvigorate the recent debate on Roman culture and the conterminous formulation of identity. In the same spirit of eclecticism displayed by influential scholars such as Jane Webster, Greg Woolf and Tim Whitmarsh, I have endeavoured to illuminate how its specific composition reflects its mixed literary heritage, to recognize the significance of the ways Lucian has chosen to comment on imperial culture and society, and in what sense his creative negotiation between cultures in literature reflects the ongoing transformation of imperial Roman culture in his day. In turn, Lucian grants us an opportunity to adjust our newest assumptions, and further refine our perception of Roman history.Show less
