Deploys the concept of Utopia as a framework for understanding intellectual developments in the late Roman period Interprets the late Roman period as a time of dynamism in which new ideas emerged (rather than as a time of mere decline and fall) Questions Roman identity as a construct that needed to be created and recreated, rather than as a fixed essence that could be taken for granted

This is a history of life in ancient Rome from the third to the seventh centuries AD. At the beginning of the period Rome was the centre of civilisation, by far the greatest city in the world, whose vast revenues supplied its million people with lavish provisions of food and wine and at least one hundred days of spectacular entertainment each year. It was a city of pristine marble, brightly coloured stucco, with temple and government buildings roofed in dazzling gold and bronze. Its citizens had access to public baths, gardens, libraries, circuses, amphitheatres, and venues for sea-fight spectacles. Well-maintained roads and aqueducts stretched from it in all directions. When Pope Gregory died in Rome in 604 Rome had become a papal power, the centre of western Christianity, the Pantheon itself transformed into a church. The author examines the conversion first of the plebs and later of the nobility, the long struggle between ancient rituals of worship and Christianity, and charts the effects of the latter's triumph on the social and physical fabric of the city.Professor Lancon describes the building of the great city wall which in 410 failed to prevent the first of a series of violent Gothic and Vandal incursions, and the citizens' valiant and repeated efforts to restore their city's glory. He considers changes in sexuality, the position of women, education, the family and life cycle, in the measurement, of time, and in the calendar of games and festivals. He examines the continuing role and prestige of the Senate, and the early years and rise of the papacy.Bertrand Lancon brings three turbulent centuries of life in the world's greatest city vividly before the reader's eye: his account is as readable as it is scholarly. The book is introduced by Mark Humphries, who has also provided a guide to further reading for anglophone readers.

This study examines how cities have become an area of significant historical debate about late antiquity, challenging accepted notions that it is a period of dynamic change and reasserting views of the era as one of decline and fall.

A comprehensive review of the development, geographic spread, and cultural influence of religion in Late Antiquity A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity offers an authoritative and comprehensive survey of religion in Late Antiquity. This historical era spanned from the second century to the eighth century of the Common Era. With contributions from leading scholars in the field, the Companion explores the evolution and development of religion and the role various religions played in the cultural, political, and social transformations of the late antique period. The authors examine the theories and methods used in the study of religion during this period, consider the most notable historical developments, and reveal how religions spread geographically. The authors also review the major religious traditions that emerged in Late Antiquity and include reflections on the interaction of these religions within their particular societies and cultures. This important Companion: Brings together in one volume the work of a notable team of international scholars Explores the principal geographical divisions of the late antique world Offers a deep examination of the predominant religions of Late Antiquity Examines established views in the scholarly assessment of the religions of Late Antiquity Includes information on the current trends in late-antique scholarship on religion Written for scholars and students of religion, A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity offers a comprehensive survey of religion and the influence religion played in the culture, politics, and social change during the late antique period.

This books captures Rome's fall and rebirth during this tumultous period. The author details the rise of Christianity and its effects on the city as well as the political and cultural atmosphere. Also inlcludes six maps.

Between 270 and 535 AD the city of Rome experienced dramatic changes. The once glorious imperial capital was transformed into the much humbler centre of western Christendom in a process that redefined its political importance, size, and identity. Urban Space and Aristocratic Power in Late Antique Rome examines these transformations by focusing on the city's powerful elite, the senatorial aristocracy, and exploring their involvement in a process of urban change that would mark the end of the ancient world and the birth of the Middle Ages in the eyes of contemporaries and modern scholars. It argues that the late antique history of Rome cannot be described as merely a product of decline; instead, it was a product of the dynamic social and cultural forces that made the city relevant at a time of unprecedented historical changes. Combining the city's unique literary, epigraphic, and archaeological record, the volume offers a detailed examination of aspects of city life as diverse as its administration, public building, rituals, housing, and religious life to show how the late Roman aristocracy gave a new shape and meaning to urban space, identifying itself with the largest city in the Mediterranean world to an extent unparalleled since the end of the Republican period.

In The Restoration of the Roman Forum in Late Antiquity, Gregor Kalas examines architectural conservation during late antiquity period at Rome's most important civic center: the Roman Forum. During the fourth and fifth centuries CE—when emperors shifted their residences to alternate capitals and Christian practices overtook traditional beliefs—elite citizens targeted restoration campaigns so as to infuse these initiatives with political meaning. Since construction of new buildings was a right reserved for the emperor, Rome's upper echelon funded the upkeep of buildings together with sculptural displays to gain public status. Restorers linked themselves to the past through the fragmentary reuse of building materials and, as Kalas explores, proclaimed their importance through prominently inscribed statues and monuments, whose placement within the existing cityscape allowed patrons and honorees to connect themselves to the celebrated history of Rome. Building on art historical studies of spolia and exploring the Forum over an extended period of time, Kalas demonstrates the mutability of civic environments. The Restoration of the Roman Forum in Late Antiquity maps the evolution of the Forum away from singular projects composed of new materials toward an accretive and holistic design sensibility. Overturning notions of late antiquity as one of decline, Kalas demonstrates how perpetual reuse and restoration drew on Rome's venerable past to proclaim a bright future.