Emperors and Ancestors: Roman Rulers and the Constraints of Tradition (Oxford Studies in Ancient Culture & Representation) - Hardcover

Hekster, Olivier

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198736827 ISBN 13: 9780198736820

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2015

Synopsis

Ancestry played a continuous role in the construction and portrayal of Roman emperorship in the first three centuries AD. Emperors and Ancestors is the first systematic analysis of the different ways in which imperial lineage was represented in the various 'media' through which images of emperors could be transmitted. Looking beyond individual rulers, Hekster evaluates evidence over an extended period of time and differentiates between various types of sources, such as inscriptions, sculpture, architecture, literary text, and particularly central coinage, which forms the most convenient source material for a modern reconstruction of Roman representations over a prolonged period of time.

The volume explores how the different media in use sent out different messages. The importance of local notions and traditions in the choice of local representations of imperial ancestry are emphasized, revealing that there was no monopoly on image-forming by the Roman centre and far less interaction between central and local imagery than is commonly held. Imperial ancestry is defined through various parallel developments at Rome and in the provinces. Some messages resonated outside the centre but only when they were made explicit and fitted local practice and the discourse of the medium. The construction of imperial ancestry was constrained by the local expectations of how a ruler should present himself, and standardization over time of the images and languages that could be employed in the 'media' at imperial disposal. Roman emperorship is therefore shown to be a constant process of construction within genres of communication, representation, and public symbolism.

About this title

About the Author

Olivier Hekster is Professor of Ancient History at the Radboud University Nijmegen.

Review

"Olivier Heksterâs Emperors and Ancestors is an important contribution to the study of the images of Roman emperors and the ideology of imperial rule... The book invites further work on other aspects of imperial ideology, such as military imagery, to see if the same patterns can be found. It deserves serious consideration by all scholars of the Roman Empire." -- Caillan Davenport (The University of Queensland), The Journal of Roman Studies Vol.107

"The book is also splendidly illustrated. More than a hundred black-and-white photographs enable readers to examine with their own eyes many of the sources on which Hekster's argument is based. ... This is an extremely useful book. " --John Weisweiler, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Hekster is to be commended for such a well-informed analysis." --Choice

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0198736827
• ISBN 13: 9780198736820
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 432