Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity

A Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity examines the social and cultural landscape of the Late Antique Mediterranean. The text offers a picture of everyday life as it was lived in the spaces around and between two of the most memorable and towering figures of the time--Constantine and Muhammad. The author captures the period using a wide-lens, including Persian material from the mid third century through Umayyad material of the mid eighth century C.E. The book offers a rich picture of Late Antique life that is not just focused on Rome, Constantinople, or Christianity.
 
This important resource uses nuanced terms to talk about complex issues and fills a gap in the literature by surveying major themes such as power, gender, community, cities, politics, law, art and architecture, and literary culture. The book is richly illustrated and filled with maps, lists of rulers and key events. A Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity is an essential guide that:
* Paints a rich picture of daily life in Late Antique that is not simply centered on Rome, Constantinople, or Christianity
* Balances a thematic approach with rigorous attention to chronology
* Stresses the need for appreciating both sources and methods in the study of Late Antique history
* Offers a sophisticated model for investigating daily life and the complexities of individual and group identity in the rapidly changing Mediterranean world
* Includes useful maps, city plans, timelines, and suggestions for further reading
 
A Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity offers an examination of everyday life in the era when adherents of three of the major religions of today--Christianity, Judaism, and Islam--faced each other for the first time in the same environment.

List of contents

Illustrations x
 
Boxed Texts xii
 
Preface: The Magic of History xv
 
Acknowledgments xix
 
Annotated List of Abbreviations and a Note on Citations from Secondary Literature xxi
 
Timeline xxv
 
Map: The Late Antique World At-A-Glance xxviii
 
Part I The "Vanishing" of Rome 1
 
1 Who and What Is Late Antiquity? 3
 
1.1 An Overview of the Book 4
 
History from the ground?]up, all the way to the top 4
 
A top?]down view of Rome in the fifth century ce 9
 
1.2 Three Lives and the "Fall of Rome" 10
 
Victorinus, vicarius of Britain 11
 
Palladius, the law student from Gaul 13
 
Rufius Volusianus, the prodigy who went to Constantinople 14
 
2 When Does Late Antiquity Begin? When Does it End? 19
 
2.1 The Third through Fifth Centuries ce: A Narrated Timeline 20
 
The third?]century crisis 20
 
The fourth?]century crisis 24
 
The fifth?]century crisis 29
 
2.2 A Warning about Periodization 32
 
3 How Do We Do Late Antique History? 35
 
3.1 Evaluating Sources, Asking Questions 36
 
Comparing and contrasting 36
 
Incorporating textual and material culture 37
 
3.2 The Past in the Past 39
 
3.3 Acquiring Cultural Competence: The Study of Religion in History 43
 
3.4 Linking, not Disconnecting, Different Periods of Early Christianity 45
 
Paul and the context of the late Second Temple period 46
 
Paul's legacy, forged texts, and the rise of Christianity 47
 
3.5 Pre?]Modern vs. Early Modern History: A Note on Sources 50
 
Part II Late Antiquity Appears 53
 
4 Power 55
 
4.1 Third?]Century Politics 55
 
4.2 Mithras and a Roman Fascination with the Mysteries of Persia 56
 
4.3 The Material Culture of Sasanian Persia 58
 
4.4 Rome and Sasanian Persia in Conflict 60
 
Weighing the accounts, making a decision 63
 
4.5 The Roman World of the Third Century ce 69
 
Empire?]wide citizenship is decreed 69
 
Rome's birthday is celebrated, a saeculum is renewed 70
 
New walls and city borders are constructed 72
 
5 Worship 75
 
5.1 The Civic Sacrifice Policy of 250 ce 76
 
Implementation of the policy 77
 
The historian's delicate task: writing about the policy 78
 
5.2 How Did Romans Worship Their Gods? Text and Material Culture, c. Third Century ce 82
 
Traditional worship 85
 
Mystery cults 87
 
Emperor worship 90
 
6 Social Change 93
 
6.1 Rome's Laws Against Christians 94
 
Emperor Valerian, 257-258 ce 94
 
Christian sacrifice in context on the eve of the Rule of Four 95
 
6.2 The End of the Third Century and the Rise of the Rule of Four 97
 
6.3 A View from Thessaloniki, Roman Greece, Late Third Century ce 99
 
Galerius' urban investments 99
 
The political messages of Galerius' arch and palace vestibule 99
 
6.4 Diocletian's Edict against Followers of Mani, 296 ce or 302 ce 105
 
6.5 The Rise of Christianity: Assumptions and Starting Points 106
 
"Christianization" and evangelization 106
 
Christian demographics and faith?]based narratives of rapid conversion 108
 
Recognizing political disagreement among Rome's Christian community 110
 
7 Law and Politics 113
 
7.1 Roman Law: History From the Ground?]Up, Top?]Down, and Sideways 114
 
Petitions from Roman Egypt 115
 
Roman legal texts in Late Antiquity 116
 
The history of Roman law as a story of "horizontal relations" 119
 
7.2 The "Edict of Mila

About the author

Douglas Boin is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author of Ostia in Late Antiquity and Coming Out Christian in the Roman World.

Summary

A Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity examines the social and cultural landscape of the Late Antique Mediterranean. The text offers a picture of everyday life as it was lived in the spaces around and between two of the most memorable and towering figures of the time--Constantine and Muhammad. The author captures the period using a wide-lens, including Persian material from the mid third century through Umayyad material of the mid eighth century C.E. The book offers a rich picture of Late Antique life that is not just focused on Rome, Constantinople, or Christianity.

This important resource uses nuanced terms to talk about complex issues and fills a gap in the literature by surveying major themes such as power, gender, community, cities, politics, law, art and architecture, and literary culture. The book is richly illustrated and filled with maps, lists of rulers and key events. A Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity is an essential guide that:
* Paints a rich picture of daily life in Late Antique that is not simply centered on Rome, Constantinople, or Christianity
* Balances a thematic approach with rigorous attention to chronology
* Stresses the need for appreciating both sources and methods in the study of Late Antique history
* Offers a sophisticated model for investigating daily life and the complexities of individual and group identity in the rapidly changing Mediterranean world
* Includes useful maps, city plans, timelines, and suggestions for further reading

A Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity offers an examination of everyday life in the era when adherents of three of the major religions of today--Christianity, Judaism, and Islam--faced each other for the first time in the same environment.

Report

"As a textbook, this book is ambitious. No other book that covers late antiquity is quite like it. The writing style throughout is chatty and encouraging, making this a wonderful guide for any high school Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum or introductory undergraduate history of late antiquity class...Boin aims to make history not just about grand political moments but intimate moments as well. This intimacy comes across from focusing on people--fairly ordinary people or, at least, those generally unknown to non-specialists." - Dr. Margo L. Goldsmith, Chair of Women's Studies in Religion, Claremont Graduate University for Reading Religion

Product details

• Authors: D Boin, Douglas Boin, Boin Douglas
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 02.03.2018
• EAN: 9781119076810
• ISBN: 978-1-119-07681-0
• No. of pages: 320
• Series: WILEY BLACKWELL SOCIAL AND CUL; Wiley-Blackwell Social and Cultural Histories of the Ancient World; Wiley-Blackwell Social and Cultural Histories of the Ancient World; Wiley Blackwell Social and Cultural Histories of the Ancient World
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Geschichte, Altertum, Antike, History, Klassisches Altertum, ancient culture, Classical Studies, Humanistische Studien, Geschichte des Altertums u. der klassischen Antike, Ancient & Classical History, Antike u. klassische Geschichte