The triumph of empire : the Roman world from Hadrian to Constantine / Michael Kulikowski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kulikowski, Michael, 1970- author.

Standardized Title:

Imperial triumph

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rome--Politics and government--30 B.C.-476 A.D.

Rome.

Rome (Empire).

Politics and government.

Rome--History--Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D.

History.

Rome--History--Constantines, 306-363.

Rome--Kings and rulers.

Kings and rulers.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxv, 360 pages, 16 unnumbered leaves of plates : color illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First Harvard University Press edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2016.

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.-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

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.

Notes:

"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.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 320-333) and index.

ISBN:

9780674659612

0674659619

OCLC:

946906858