The Roman Revolution of Constantine

Abstract

The reign of the emperor Constantine (306–337) was as revolutionary for the transformation of Rome's Mediterranean empire as that of Augustus, the first emperor three centuries earlier. The abandonment of Rome signaled the increasing importance of frontier zones in northern and central Europe and the Middle East. The foundation of Constantinople as a new imperial residence and the rise of Greek as the language of administration previewed the establishment of a separate eastern Roman empire. Constantine's patronage of Christianity required both a new theology of the Christian Trinity and a new political image of a Christian emperor. Raymond Van Dam explores and interprets each of these events. His book complements accounts of the role of Christianity by highlighting ideological and cultural aspects of the transition to a post-Roman world.

Housing in Late Antique Augusta Emerita: The End of The Peristyle House

“…These changes parallel those at other cities in the western Mediterranean world in this period. The dilapidated state of some cities' public monuments led to grand programmes of urban renewal in the first half of the fourth century (Liebeschuetz , 4–5; Lewin ; Van Dam ). Contemporary legislation shows that the use of public spaces for private ends – both commercial and residential – became quite widespread from the fourth century onward (Liebeschuetz , 152; Liebeschuetz , 60; Ellis , 565–6; Saradi , 186–8; Baldini Lippolis , 199–200; Lavan ).…”

Mirrors for Bureaucrats: Expectations of Christian Officials in the Theodosian Empire

“… 4 The classic account is Dvornik 1966: 659–723, esp. 679–80, 687–91, 693–6, 709, 712–13, 718–23; for excellent recent treatments of various late ancient engagements with this paradigm, see McGuckin 2003 (responding to Dvornik); Van Dam 2007: 329–53. On its centrality in Byzantine political thought see especially Dagron 2003: at 17–20; though cf.…”