Description
Book SynopsisThis book brings together a number of case studies to show some of the ways in which, as soon as the Roman Senate gained new political authority under Constantine and his successors, its members crowded the political scene in the West.
In these chapters, Rita Lizzi Testa makes much of her work the fruit of decades of research available in English for the first time. The focus is on the aristocratics'' passion for aruspical science, the political use of exphrastic poems, and even their control of the hagiographic genre in the late sixth century. She demonstrates how Roman senators were chosen as legates to establish proactive relations with Christian emperors, their ministers and military commanders, and Eastern and Western provincial elites. Senators wove a web of relations in the Eastern and Western empires, sewing and stitching the empire''s fabric with their diplomatic skills, wealth, and influence, while lively and highly litigious assembly activity still required
Trade Review
"The combination of clarity with the depth and breadth of the issues addressed makes the volume extremely thought-provoking, enriching, and enjoyable to historians acquainted with late-antique studies (and the biases surrounding them)." - Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"The chapters are well signposted, and the variety of topics, along with the instruction Lizzi Testa provides on how to use a variety of sources and methodologies, make this book of interest to a wide variety of readers." - Church History
Table of Contents1. Constantine and the Senatorial Aristocracy: The Men and Women He Could Not Ignore 2. Julian and the Pagan Tradition on Constantine 3. Quintus Aurelius Symmachus in Bauli: Literary Genres and Political Projects 4. Roman Senators and Imperial Officials at the Court of Valentinian I 5. The Brooms in Bloom: The Roman Aristocracy and the Haruspices 6. Ammianus, Phrynichus and Ancient Historians’ Self-Censorship 7. Pagan Senators and Christian Bishops: The Roman Senate at Work (382-384 AD) 8. Just Before the Sack: Between Political Crisis and Religious Anxiety in Rome 9. Saint Valentine and the Symmachi
