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Urban Life and Local Politics in Roman Bithynia: The Small World of Dion Chrysostomos: 07
Author(s): Tønnes Bekker-Nielsen (Author)
- Publisher: Aarhus University Press
- Publication Date: 20 Jun. 2008
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 211 pages
- ISBN-10: 8779343503
- ISBN-13: 9788779343504
Book Description
Most studies of Roman local administration focus on the formal structures of power: imperial laws, urban institutions and magistracies. This book explores the interplay of formal power with informal factors such as social prejudice, parochialism and personal rivalries in the cities of northwestern Asia Minor from the first to the fifth centuries AD. Through a detailed analysis of the municipal speeches and career of the philosopher-politician Dion Chrysostomos, we gain new in-depth insight into the petty conflicts and lofty ambitions of an ancient provincial small-town politician and those around him. The author concludes that Roman local politics were rarely concerned with political issues but more often with social status and the desire for recognition within an agonistic society.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Tonnes Bekker-Nielsen teaches ancient history at the University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg.
