Title
The triumph of empire : the Roman world from Hadrian to Constantine / Michael Kulikowski.
Uniform Title
Imperial triumph
ISBN
9780674659612 (hardcover)
0674659619 (hardcover)
Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2016.
Language
English
Description
xxv, 360 pages, 16 unnumbered leaves of plates : color illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Call Number
DG270 .K85 2016
Dewey Decimal Classification
937/.06
Summary
"The Triumph of Empire takes readers into the political heart of imperial Rome and recounts the extraordinary challenges overcome by a flourishing empire. Michael Kulikowski's history begins with the reign of Hadrian, who visited the farthest reaches of his domain and created stable frontiers, to the decades after Constantine the Great, who overhauled the government, introduced a new state religion, and founded a second Rome. Factionalism and intrigue sapped the empire from within, even at its apex. Roman politics could resemble a blood sport: rivals resorted to assassination; emperors rose and fell with bewildering speed, their reigns measured in weeks, not years; and imperial succession was never entirely assured. Canny emperors--including Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, and Diocletian--constantly cultivated the aristocracy's favor to maintain a grip on power. Despite such volatility, the Roman Empire protected its borders, defeating successive attacks from Goths and Germans, Persians and Parthians. Yet external threats persisted and the imperial government sagged under its own administrative weight. Religion, too, was in flux with the rise of Christianity and other forms of monotheism. In the fourth century CE, Constantine and his heirs reformed imperial institutions by separating civilian and military hierarchies, restructuring the government of both provinces and cities, and ensuring the prominence of Christianity. The Triumph of Empire is a fresh, authoritative narrative of Rome at its height and of its evolution--from being the central power of the Mediterranean world to becoming one of several great Eurasian civilizations."--Book jacket.
Note
"First published as Imperial Triumph: The Roman World from Hadrian to Constantine in the United Kingdom in 2016 by Profile Books Ltd."--Title page verso.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 320-333) and index.
The early years of Hadrian
The late reign and the succession
Peace and war at mid-century
The last of the Antonines
Septimius Severus and his rivals
The reign of Severus
The later Severans
Eurasian history and the Roman Empire
From Gordian III to Valerian
Valerian and the generals
The last of the soldier emperors
Diocletian, Constantine and the creation of the Later Roman Empire
The failure of the tetrarchy
Constantine and Licinius
The structure of empire before and after Constantine
The Constantinian empire
The children of Constantine
Constantius, Julian and the empire to come
The Roman emperors from Augustus to Julian
Persian kings from Ardashir to Shapur II.
