Description
Book SynopsisIn the middle of the third century, a girl was born on the north-eastern frontier of the Roman empire. Eighty years later, she died as Flavia Iulia Helena, Augusta of the Roman world and mother of the first Christian emperor Constantine, without ever having been married to an emperor herself. In Helena Augusta: Mother of the Empire, Julia Hillner traces Helena''s story through her life''s peaks, which generated beautiful imperial artwork, entertaining legends as well as literary outrage. But Helena Augusta also pays careful attention to the disruptions in Helena''s life course and in her commemoration--disruptions that were created by her nearest male relatives. Hillner shows that Helena''s story was not just determined by the love of a son or the rise of Christianity. It was also--like that of many other late Roman women--defined by male violence and by the web of changing female relationships around her, to which Helena was sometimes marginal, sometimes central and sometimes ancillary. Helena Augusta offers unique insight into the roles of imperial women in Constantinian self-display and in dynastic politics from the Tetrarchy to the Theodosian Age, and it also reminds us that the late Roman female life course, even that of an empress, was fragile and non-linear.
Trade ReviewUsing tools developed for feminist historiography, Hillner has retrieved the historical mother of Constantine the Great from the realm of legend. Her reconstruction is engaging, filled with shrewd insight, and well-grounded in ancient sources. She is especially good at using material culture to lead into deeper discussions. Instead of the saintly Helena who discovered the True Cross, we now have a living, breathing person who can teach us a great deal about the history of women in the fourth century. * H. A. Drake, author of A Century of Miracles: Christians, Pagans, Jews and the Supernatural, 312-410 *
In many respects this is a great book and a fascinating read...It will rapidly become the standard monograph on Helena. The book's greatest value, however, lies in how Hillner explains the role of Tetrarchic and Constantinian women in dynastic politics. * Jan Willem Drijvers, University of Groningen, Plekos *
In many respects this is a great book and a fascinating read. It does a much better job than previous studies of outlining Helena's life against the background and in the context of political and dynastic entanglements during the Tetrarchy and the reign of Constantine. It will rapidly become the standard monograph on Helena. * Stefan Vranka, Plekos *
This is a very rich and rewarding...book...Offer[s] much to those interested in Roman women and Roman history, those interested in female power, its contingencies and limits. * Journal of Roman Studies *
The study represents a significant advancement in understanding the history of the fourth century AD. Additionally, the study stands out for its meticulous examination of all available literary sources and previous research, as well as for its careful and clear statements on the historical issues of the Constantinian era. Furthermore, the study excels in its precise examination of the archaeological evidence, which is often used as the starting point for individual chapters. Another strength of the work is Hillner's keen focus on the regional contexts of the presentation of imperial female roles and functions... With this research approach, the author consolidates her detailed network and communication analysis, which, as mentioned, proves to be highly productive for the Constantinian era. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Abbreviations Timeline of the Constantinian, Valentinian and Theodosian Dynasties Dramatis Personae Family Tree Maps Introduction: Writing Helena The Case for (Chronological) Biography Writing Helena's Life Forwards: Of Places, Gaps and Relationships Helena, Dynasty, and Power Part I: Extra (c. 248-c.289) Chapter 1: On the Frontiers Demographics Helena and the 'Crisis of the Third Century' Meeting Constantius Chapter 2: Weather Eye on the Horizon Legalities Helena at Naissus and Salona Helena's Tetrarchy Part II: Off-Stage (c. 289-c. 317) Chapter 3: Sister Act Lost Girl: Theodora Fausta's Nose Pruning the Tree Waiting in the Wings, Becoming Christian? Chapter 4: The Necklace Affair The Tomb at %Sarkamen Divine Mothers The Augusta in the East Fair Game: Empresses as Prey Part III: Centre-Stage (c.317-c.329) Chapter 5: Keeping Up Appearances The Road to Thessalonica: A Wedding, a Conspiracy, and a War The Augusta-Double Fausta, Super Star Chapter 6: Roman Holiday Palace Life Helena and Constantine's Churches in Rome New Look Chapter 7: Four Deaths and an Anniversary Murders in the Family Becoming Genetrix Chapter 8: From Here to Eternity The Travelling Empress: Conflicting Portraits Helena, the Pilgrim? On the Road A New Jezebel Empresses in the Holy Land Part IV: Curtain and Encores (c.329-c. 600) Chapter 9: Burying an Empress Final Honours Rebranching the Tree Coming Through Slaughter Chapter 10: Silence of the Empress Extending Helena: Constantina Burying Empresses, One More Time Countering Helena: Justina Chapter 11: New Model Empress Ambrose's Helena Reviving Helena's Look: Flaccilla and Thermantia Reviving Helena in Action Emulating Helena: Galla Placidia and Eudocia A 'New Helena' in Name: Pulcheria Being Helena: Radegund Epilogue Ancient Sources Modern Studies Index
