The Roman Revolution of Constantine [Hardcover]

The reign of the emperor Constantine (306337) marked a transformation of Rome's Mediterranean empire.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 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 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.Introduction; Part I. A Roman Empire without Rome: 1. Constantine's rescript to Hispellum; 2. His favorite rooster: old Rome and new Rome; 3. 'Hope in His name': the Flavian dynasty; 4. Reading ahead; Part II. A Greek Roman Empire: 5. Constantine's dialogue with Orcistus; 6. 'The most holy religion': petitioning the emperor; 7. 'The Roman language': Latin and the Greek East; 8. Falling water; Part III. Emperor and God: 9. 'Begotten of the gods': the imperial tetrarchy; 10. 'Begotten from the Father': the Christian Trinity; 11. 'Only-begotten son': history becomes theology; 12. The search for the Christian doctrine of the emperor; Epilogue: one emperor. Van Dam's illuminating insights and careful scholarship are matched by playful interpretations of ambiguous evidel£Ï