- Paperback: 332 pages
- Publisher: Clarendon Press; New Ed edition (15 Nov 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0199247633
- ISBN-13: 978-0199247639
- Product Dimensions: 21.7 x 15.7 x 1.9 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,194,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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"Empire of Honour is a very fine book. It is a delight to read and opens up for exploration subtle aspects of the exercise of power in the Roman empire."--Hans Van Wees, University College London
Product Description
J. E. Lendon offers a new interpretation of how the Roman empire worked in the first four centuries AD. A despotism rooted in force and fear enjoyed widespread support among the ruling classes of the provinces on the basis of an aristocratic culture of honour shared by rulers and ruled. The competitive Roman and Greek aristocrats of the empire conceived of their relative standing in terms of public esteem or honour, and conceived of their cities - towards which they felt a warm patriotism - as entities locked in a parallel struggle for primacy in honour over rivals. Emperors and provincial governors exploited these rivalries to gain the indispensable co-operation of local magnates by granting honours to individuals and their cities. Since rulers strove for honour as well, their subjects manipulated them with honours in their turn. Honour - whose workings are also traced in the Roman army - served as a way of talking and thinking about Roman government: it was both a species of power, and a way - connived in by rulers and ruled - of concealing the terrible realities of imperial rule.
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ON what was to be the last day of his life, the emperor Nero awoke to find that the palace sentries had abandoned their posts. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
ON what was to be the last day of his life, the emperor Nero awoke to find that the palace sentries had abandoned their posts. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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2 reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Fabulous coruscating prose; fascinating premise
18 Jun 2002
Format:Paperback
In the 21st century, the culture of the aristocrat is largely a faded memory, and noble values--such as "honor" are largely viewed with suspicion as having fallen into disregard. This book is a serious attempt to reimagine Rome's alien culture, and to refine and revive conceptions of honor as people now dead 2000 years regarded it.
Unrepentantly a book for experts, yet written with a verve and sheer joy in language that makes it accessible to the more casual reader. As Lendon begins: "On what was to be the last day of his life, the Emperor Nero awoke to find that the palace sentries had abandoned their posts." The reader is--on some level at least <g>--in for a wild and glorious ride from that point forward!
Whether the author himself would appreciate this or not, this book would do well in the library of the fantasy role-playing expert, looking to build a convincing scenario around a "Gladiator" style setting!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Now I Finally Understand All Those Pompous Roman Letters
29 Mar 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating book about the ways in which status, recognition, and the conferral of distinctions were used to govern the Roman empire and a compelling explanation of such methods' genesis in Greco-Roman culture. It assumes a high degree of familiarity with Roman history, but complete familiarity with the book's historical references is not necessary to appreciate the basic argument being made. Also, for the first time for me, this book makes sense of a great deal of the seemingly gassy Roman letters and inscriptions praising various people.
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