Emperors and Ancestors
Journal Data
| Type | SOURCE_BOOK |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (GB) |
| ISBN-13 | 9780198736820 |
| Open Library | OL20312941W |
| Total publications | 5 |
| Coverage period | 2015 - 2015 |
| Language | EN |
| Cited by | 28 |
| Impact factor | 0.6 |
| h-index | 1 |
| i10-index | 1 |
"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." -- Publisher's description
The Tetrarchs
This chapter deals with the role of lineage during the Tetrarchy, the period in which the Roman Empire was governed through collegiate rule in an explicitly non-dynastic system. The chapter shows how kin-terms continued to be used to describe relations between emperors, and how the vocabulary and imagery related to kinship that was used for these rulers differed from one medium to the next. It also discusses the continued importance of adoption, …
Some Have Ancestors Thrust Upon Them
This chapter focuses on ‘invented ancestry’: openly invented genealogical claims by imperial successors. It questions how demonstrably fictive claims, like those by Septimius Severus, fit into the patterns that were set out in the earlier chapters. Was there more or less coherence in imagery when the messages that were broadcast recognizably had no basis in reality? By looking at such an extravagant type of ancestral claim, this chapter shows the…
Introduction to Dynastic Rule
Sons of Gods and Heroes
This chapter investigates explicit and suggested notions of divine imperial ancestry in the period up to the Tetrarchy. Claims of divine descent (from Aeneas) formed a prominent part of the personal prestige of Caesar and Augustus, but rapidly became of less importance when the imperial family came to occupy a central ancestral position. Consequently, divine claims (other than to deified emperors) lost much of their importance. But the closeness …
Emperors and Ancestors
"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 t…
Emperors and Ancestors
"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 t…
The Tetrarchs
This chapter deals with the role of lineage during the Tetrarchy, the period in which the Roman Empire was governed through collegiate rule in an explicitly non-dynastic system. The chapter shows how kin-terms continued to be used to describe relations between emperors, and how the vocabulary and imagery related to kinship that was used for these rulers differed from one medium to the next. It also discusses the continued importance of adoption, …
Some Have Ancestors Thrust Upon Them
This chapter focuses on ‘invented ancestry’: openly invented genealogical claims by imperial successors. It questions how demonstrably fictive claims, like those by Septimius Severus, fit into the patterns that were set out in the earlier chapters. Was there more or less coherence in imagery when the messages that were broadcast recognizably had no basis in reality? By looking at such an extravagant type of ancestral claim, this chapter shows the…
Introduction to Dynastic Rule
Sons of Gods and Heroes
This chapter investigates explicit and suggested notions of divine imperial ancestry in the period up to the Tetrarchy. Claims of divine descent (from Aeneas) formed a prominent part of the personal prestige of Caesar and Augustus, but rapidly became of less importance when the imperial family came to occupy a central ancestral position. Consequently, divine claims (other than to deified emperors) lost much of their importance. But the closeness …
Emperors and Ancestors
"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 t…