Pagan City and Christian Capital: Rome in the Fourth Century (Oxford Classical Monographs) - Hardcover

Curran, John R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198152787 ISBN 13: 9780198152781

Publisher: Clarendon Press, 2000

Synopsis

The critical century between the arrival of Constantine and the advance of Alaric in the early fifth century witnessed dramatic changes in the city of Rome. In this book Dr. Curran has broken away from the usual notions of religious conflict between Christians and pagans, to focus on a number of approaches to the Christianization of Rome. He surveys the laws and political considerations which governed the building policy of Constantine and his successors, the effect of papal building and commemorative constructions on Roman topography, the continuing ambivalence of the Roman festal calendar, and the conflict between Christians over asceticism and "real" Christianity. Thus using analytical, literary, and legal evidence Dr Curran explains the way in which the landscape, civic life, and moral values of Rome were transformed by complex and sometimes paradoxical forces, laying the foundation for the capital of medieval Christendom. Through a study of Rome as a city Dr Curran explores the rise of Christianity and the decline of paganism in the later Roman empire.

About this title

About the Author

John Curran is at Queen's University, Belfast.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarendon Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198152787
• ISBN 13: 9780198152781
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 410