The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine (Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World)

643 Pages·2005·8.23 MB·English

by  Noel Lenski

The Cambridge Companion to
THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE
S
TheCambridgeCompaniontotheAgeofConstantineoffersstudentsacom-
prehensive one-volume introduction to this pivotal emperor and his
times. Richly illustrated and designed as a readable survey accessible to
all audiences, it also achieves a level of scholarly sophistication and a
freshness of interpretation that will be welcomed by the experts. The
volume is divided into five sections that examine political history, reli-
gion,socialandeconomichistory,art,andforeignrelationsduringthe
reignofConstantine,arulerwhogainsinimportancebecausehesteered
theRomanEmpireonacourseparallelwithhisownpersonaldevelop-
ment. Each chapter examines the intimate interplay between emperor
andempireandbetweenapowerfulpersonalityandhisworld.Collec-
tively,thechaptersshowhowbothweremutuallyaffectedinwaysthat
shapedtheworldoflateantiquityandevenaffectourownworldtoday.
Noel Lenski is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of
Colorado,Boulder.Aspecialistinthehistoryoflateantiquity,heisthe
author of numerous articles on military, political, cultural, and social
historyandthemonographFailureofEmpire:ValensandtheRomanState
in the Fourth Centuryad.
Cambridge Collections Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007
Cambridge Collections Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007
The Cambridge Companion to
T H E A G E O F
C O N S T A N T I N E
S
Edited by
Noel Lenski
UniversityofColorado
Cambridge Collections Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007
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isbn-13:978-0-521-81838-4(hardback)
isbn-10:0-521-81838-9(hardback)
isbn-13:978-0-521-52157-4(pbk.)
isbn-10:0-521-52157-2(pbk.)
1.Rome–History–ConstantineI,theGreat,306–337. 2.ConstantineI,
EmperorofRome,d.337. 3.Churchhistory–Primitiveandearlychurch,
ca.30–600. I.Lenski,NoelEmmanuel,1965– II.Title.
dg315.c36 2005
937(cid:2).08(cid:2)092–dc22 2005011724
isbn-13 978-0-521-81838-4hardback
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isbn-13 978-0-521-52157-4paperback
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piissimae et venerabili matri
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Contents
S
List of Illustrations page ix
Contributors xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Abbreviations xvii
Introduction 1
NOELLENSKI
1 Sources for the History of Constantine 14
BRUNOBLECKMANN
Section I Politics and Personalities
2 Before Constantine 35
SIMONCORCORAN
3 The Reign of Constantine 59
NOELLENSKI
4 The Dynasty of Constantine Down to 363 91
ROBERTM.FRAKES
Section II Religion and Spiritual Life
5 The Impact of Constantine on Christianity 111
H.A.DRAKE
6 The Beginnings of Christianization 137
MARKEDWARDS
7 Traditional Religions 159
A.D.LEE
vii
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Contents
Section III Law and Society
8 Bureaucracy and Government 183
CHRISTOPHERKELLY
9 Civil Law and Social Life 205
CAROLINEHUMFRESS
10 Economy and Society 226
GEORGESDEPEYROT
Section IV Art and Culture
11 Perspectives in Art 255
JAS´ ELSNER
12 Architecture of Empire 278
MARKJ.JOHNSON
13 Constantine in Legendary Literature 298
SAMUELN.C.LIEU
Section V Empire and Beyond
14 Warfare and the Military 325
HUGHELTON
15 Constantine and the Northern Barbarians 347
MICHAELKULIKOWSKI
16 Constantine and the Peoples of the Eastern Frontier 377
ELIZABETHKEYFOWDEN
Appendix 1: Stemmata 399
Appendix 2: Timeline 401
Maps 405
Primary Sources and Translations 411
Secondary Bibliography 419
Index 457
viii
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Illustrations
S
Figures
1 Arch of Constantine, Rome, north face
2 Remains of the porphyry column of Constantine (C¸emberlita¸s),
Istanbul
3 Personified Constantinople next to the column of Constantine,
Tabula Peutingeriana, Vienna
4 Hispellum Decree, Spello, Italy
5 Model of the imperial villa Romuliana (Gamzigrad)
6 Monumental rock-cut relief of Shapur I before Philip and
Valerian, Naqsh-i-Rustam, Iran
7 Porphyry bust of emperor Galerius from the imperial villa
Romuliana (Gamzigrad)
8 Porphyry Tetrarchs, Venice
9 The Milvian Bridge, Rome
10 Constantinian Quadrifrons reconstructed into a medieval
palatium (Malborghetto)
11 Constantinian Quadrifrons (Janus Quadrifrons), Rome
12 Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome
13 Thirteenth-century icon of Constantine and Helena, Athens
14 Colossal marble bust of Constantine, Rome
15 Colossal bronze bust of Constantine, Rome
16 Recut portrait head of Constantine from the Arch of
Constantine, Rome
17 Relief showing the siege of Verona from the Arch of
Constantine, Rome
18 Relief of Constantine’s address in the Forum from the Arch of
Constantine, Rome
19 Intaglio-cut amethyst with Constantine’s portrait, Berlin
ix
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Illustrations
20 Over-life-sized statue of Constantine, in the Basilica of St. John
in Lateran, Rome
21 Mausoleum of Helena (Tor Pignatara), Rome
22 Porphyry sarcophagus of Helena in the Vatican Museum, Rome
23 Porphyry sarcophagus of Constantina in the Vatican Museum,
Rome
24 Ceiling mosaic from the church of S. Costanza, Rome
25 Ceiling fresco of a nimbate woman with jewel-box, Trier
26 Opus sectilepanelof aconsulardriving achariotfrom theBasilica
of Junius Bassus, Rome
27 Artemis of Saint Georges de Montagne, Bordeaux
28 Cameo of Constantine and his family from the cover of the
Ada-Evangeliar, Trier
29 Sardonyx cameo of Constantine(?) fighting on horseback,
Belgrade
30 Seasons sarcophagus in the Dumbarton Oaks Byzantine
Collection, Washington, DC
31 Fresco showing the ascension of Elijah from the Via Latina
Catacomb, Rome
32 Interior of the Aula Palatina, Trier
33 Baths of Constantine on the Quirinal, Rome
34 Licinian Garden Pavilion (Minerva Medica), Rome
35 View of the interior of the Constantinian Basilica of Saint Peter,
Rome
36 Model of the Basilica Apostolorum (S. Sebastiano), Rome
37 Remains of the apse of the church of S. Agnese, Rome
38 Romanesque fresco showing the Donations of Constantine,
Rome
39 Silver dish with Constantius II mounted, accompanied by a
guardsman, Leningrad
40 Relief showing armored cavalry from the Arch of Galerius,
Thessalonica
41 Tetrarchic fort of Mobene (Qasr Bshir), Al-Kerak, Jordan
Plans
1 Basilica Constantiniana of the Lateran in Rome
2 Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople
3 Church and cemetery complex ad duas lauros (Tor Pignatara) in
Rome
x
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