The Tetrarchy as Ideology

Reconfigurations and Representations of an Imperial Power

edited by Filippo Carla-Uhink and Christian Rollinger

Book cover: The Tetrarchy as Ideology

Extent: 382 pages

Publisher: Franz Steiner Verlag

Subjects: Classical Studies, Social Sciences 

Series: Heidelberger Althistorische Beitrage und epigraphische Studien

Series volume number: 64

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(February 2023)

ISBN: 9783515134002

6.65 x 9.45 inches

Price: $90.00

Out of stock

The ‘Tetrarchy’, the modern name assigned to the period of Roman history that started with the emperor Diocletian and ended with Constantine I, has been a much-studied and much-debated field of the Roman Empire. Debate, however, has focused primarily on whether it was a true ‘system’ of government, or rather a collection of ad-hoc measures undertaken to stabilise the empire after the troubled period of the 3rd century CE. The papers collected here aim to go beyond this question and to present an innovative approach to a fascinating period of Roman history by understanding the Tetrarchy not as a system of government, but primarily as a political language. Their focus thus lies on the language and ideology of the imperial college and court, on the performance of power in imperial ceremonies, the representation of the emperors and their enemies in the provinces of the Roman world, as well as on the afterlife of Tetrarchic power in the Constantinian period.

  • Edited by Filippo Carla-Uhink
  • Edited by Christian Rollinger

"This rich and bold volume offers a fresh perspective on Tetrarchic studies. [...] In conclusion, Carla-Uhink and Rollinger have produced a remarkable work collecting papers of particularly high quality."