Barbarians & Politics at the Court of Arcadius: 19 (Transformation of the Classical Heritage) - Hardcover

Cameron, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0520065506 ISBN 13: 9780520065505

Publisher: University of California Press, 1993

Synopsis

The chaotic events of AD 395-400 marked a momentous turning point for the Roman Empire and its relationship to the barbarian peoples under and beyond its command. In this study, the author proposes a complete rewriting of received wisdom concerning the social and political history of these years. Our knowledge of the period comes to us in part through Synesius of Cyrene, who recorded his view of events in his "De Regno" and "De Providentia". By redating these words, Cameron offers a vital, new interpretation of the interactions of pagans and Christians, Goths and Romans. In 394/95, during the last four months of his life, the emperor Theodosius I ruled as sole Augustus over a united Roman empire that had been divided between at least two emperors for most of the preceding 100 years. Not only did the death of Theodosius set off a struggle between Roman officeholders of the two empires, but it also set off renewed efforts by the barbarian Goths to sieze both territory and office. Theodosius had encouraged high-ranking Goths to enter Roman military service; thus well placed, their efforts would lead to Alaric's sack of Rome in 410. Though Cameron's interest is in the particularities of events, the book conveys a sense of the general time and place.

About this title

About the Author:

Alan Cameron is Anthon Professor of Latin Language and Literature at Columbia University. Jacqueline Long is Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin. Sherry Lee is currently a research fellow at Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.

From the Inside Flap:

"This book explodes the common view that pro- and anti-German factions dominated Byzantine politics at the turn of the century, and in so doing it rewrites the history of a brief but crucial period in early Byzantium."—Robert Kaster, author of Guardians of Language

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0520065506
• ISBN 13: 9780520065505
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 456