Rome in the East

Warwick Ball0415243572, 9780415243575

In this lavishly illustrated and arresting study Warwick Ball presents the story of Rome’s overwhelming fascination with the East through a coverage of the historical, architectural and archaeological evidence unparalleled in both breadth and detail. This was a fascination of the new world for the old, and of the mundane for the exotic – a love affair that took literal form in the story of Antony and Cleopatra. From Rome’s legendary foundation by Aeneas and the Trojan heroes as the New Troy, through the installation of Arabs as Roman emperors, to the eventual foundation of the new Rome by a latter-day Aeneas at Constantinople, the East took over Rome, – and Rome eventually ditched Europe to the Barbarians. Rome in the East overturns the received wisdom about Rome as the bastion of European culture. Newly available in paperback, and illustrated with almost 300 photographs, plans and drawings, its accessible and comprehensive approach makes it an ideal resource for both the academic and general reader.

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Table of contents :
Book Cover……Page 1
Title……Page 4
Contents……Page 5
List of plates……Page 10
List of figures and family trees……Page 15
Preface……Page 19
Introduction……Page 22
Historical background……Page 29
The Princely States: Near Eastern kingdoms under Roman protection……Page 51
Rome east of the frontiers……Page 127
The towns and cities……Page 170
The countryside……Page 228
Imperial veneer: architecture and the resurgence of the East……Page 267
The transformation of an empire……Page 418
Notes……Page 472
Bibliography……Page 515
Index……Page 533