This thesis has sought to research the Roman imperial cult in the province of Achaea during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty (27 BC - 68 AD). It has done so through a thorough study of the epigraphic and...Show moreThis thesis has sought to research the Roman imperial cult in the province of Achaea during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty (27 BC - 68 AD). It has done so through a thorough study of the epigraphic and numismatic sources that originate from the province. The first two chapters are subjected to the study of these sources, while the third chapter functioned as a synthesis of the evidence. Here, the sources are put into two larger debates surrounding the Roman imperial cult, such as the origin of the imperial cult (i.e. Roman or Hellenistic precedence), and what might be understood as 'ruler cult'. Moreover, the third chapter expands on the notion that it was the local élite who functioned as the main stimulus for the veneration of the imperial family, and to what extent this might have been enhanced by the 'petition-and-response'-model.Show less
This thesis argues that the Julio-Claudian emperor needs to be examined in the social and political context of the late Roman Republic wherein competition between the aristocrats determined their...Show moreThis thesis argues that the Julio-Claudian emperor needs to be examined in the social and political context of the late Roman Republic wherein competition between the aristocrats determined their behaviour to a large extent. The emperor tried to position himself within the new political order. He tried to control the competition between the aristocrats, but he sometimes also contravened possible competitors in different ways.Show less
