Greek narratives of the Roman Empire under the Severans : Cassius Dio, Philostratus and Herodian / Adam M. Kemezis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kemezis, Adam M., 1977- author.

Series:

Greek culture in the Roman world.

Greek culture in the Roman world

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cassius Dio Cocceianus.

Herodian.

Philostratus, the Athenian, active 2nd century-3rd century.

Philostratus.

Greek prose literature.

Rome--History--Severans, 193-235.

Rome.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 340 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The political instability of the Severan Period (AD 193-235) destroyed the High Imperial consensus about the Roman past and caused both rulers and subjects constantly to re-imagine and re-narrate both recent events and the larger shape of Greco-Roman history and cultural identity. This book examines the narratives put out by the new dynasty, and how the literary elite responded with divergent visions of their own. It focuses on four long Greek narrative texts from the period (by Cassius Dio, Philostratus and Herodian), each of which constructs its own version of the empire, each defined by different Greek and Roman elements and each differently affected by dynastic change, especially that from Antonine to Severan. Innovative theories of narrative are used to produce new readings of these works that bring political, literary and cultural perspectives together in a unified presentation of the Severan era as a distinctive historical moment.

Contents:

Introduction

From Antonine to Severan

Cassius Dio: The Last Annalist

Philostratus' Apollonius: Hellenic Perfection on an Imperial Stage

Philostratus' Sophists: Hellas' Antonine Golden Age

Herodian: A Dysfunctional Rome

Conclusion: From "Severan" to "Third-Century" Appendix: The Date of Composition of Dio's History

The Dates and Addressees of Philostratus' Apollonius and Sophists

The Date, Scope and Author of Herodian's History.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-316-14725-8

1-316-15029-1

1-316-14699-5

1-316-15055-0

1-316-14951-X

1-107-63876-3

1-107-47730-1

1-316-14925-0

1-316-14977-3

1-316-15003-8