The journey of Theophanes : travel, business, and daily life in the Roman east / John Matthews.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Matthews, John (John Frederick)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Theophanes, active 4th century--Travel--Middle East.

Theophanes.

Middle East--Social conditions.

Middle East.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 online resource (xvii, 244 p.) ) ill., maps.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In the early fourth century, a lawyer and public figure from the Nile valley city of Hermopolis made a six-month business related journey to Antioch. The day to day details are preserved on papyrus documents and offer a remarkable record of this journey, covering everything from distances traveled to daily food purchases, from medicinal supplies to fees paid for services. In this book, the classicist and historian John Matthews translates these important documents and places them in the wider context of the social history of the Graeco-Roman world. The memoranda relating to Theophanes' journey are presented within a historical narrative that offers an array of revelations on diet, travel, social relations, and other fascinating topics. This book creates an unprecedented account of daily life in the years preceding Emperor Constantine's rise to power in the eastern provinces of the Roman empire.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Preface

list of abbreviations and short titles

list of illustrations

the contents of the theophanes archive

Egyptian months

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Hermopolis: Theophanes and Friends

Chapter 3. The Road to Antioch

Chapter 4. Interlude: Travel and Topography

Chapter 5. At Antioch

Chapter 6. Homeward Bound

Chapter 7. Costs and Prices

Chapter 8. Food and Diet

Appendix 1. P.Ryl. 627: Summary of Contents

Appendix 2. Notes on the Text

Appendix 3. Costs and Prices in the Memoranda

Appendix 4. Kemia and kemoraphanos

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-240) and index.

ISBN:

1-281-73501-9

9786611735012

0-300-13524-6

OCLC:

1024020246