Bread and circuses : euergetism and municipal patronage in Roman Italy / edited by Kathryn Lomas and Tim Cornell.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Lomas, Kathryn, 1960-

Cornell, Tim.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

City-states.

History.

Rome--Politics and government--284-476.

Rome.

Rome (Empire).

Politics and government.

Benefactors--Rome.

Benefactors.

Patron and client--Rome.

Patron and client.

City-states--Italy--History.

Rome--Social life and customs.

Italy.

Local Subjects:

Rome--Social life and customs.

Physical Description:

xii, 170 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2003.

Summary:

Cities in the ancient world relied on private generosity to provide many basic amenities, as well as expecting leading citizens to pay for 'bread and circuses' -- free food and public entertainment. This collection of essays by leading scholars from the UK and USA explores the important phenomenon of benefaction and public patronage in Roman Italy. Ranging from the late republican period to the later Roman Empire, the contributions cover a wide range of topics, including the impact of benefactions and benefactors on the urban development of Roman Italy, on cultural and economic activity, and on the changing role of games and festivals in Roman society. They also explore the relationship between communities and their benefactors, whether these were local notables, senators, or the emperor himself, and examine how the nature of benefaction changed under the Empire.

Contents:

Introduction: patronage and benefaction in ancient Italy / Kathryn Lomas, Tim Cornell 1

1 The patron as banker / Thomas Wiedemann 12

2 Public building, urban renewal and euergetism in early Imperial Italy / Kathryn Lomas 28

3 The development of public entertainment venues in Rome and Italy / Clairf Holleran 46

4 Euergetism in its place: where was the amphitheatre in Augustan Rome? / Kathleen M. Coleman 61

5 The emperor and the cities of Italy / John R. Patterson 89

6 Imperial building at Rome: the role of Constantine / E. D. Hunt 105

7 Favor populi: pagans, Christians and public entertainment in late Antique Italy / Jill Harries 125

8 'Restored utility, eternal city': patronal imagery at Rome in the fourth century AD / Rowland B. E. Smith 142.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0415146895

OCLC:

50028694