This work analyses the police apparatus of early imperial Rome. The research is embedded in existing theories about policing and explores by what means the Roman state managed to police early...Show moreThis work analyses the police apparatus of early imperial Rome. The research is embedded in existing theories about policing and explores by what means the Roman state managed to police early imperial Rome.Show less
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
