Daily Life in Late Antiquity

This book introduces readers to lived experience in the Late Roman Empire, from c.250–600 CE.

Kristina Sessa (Author)

9780521148405, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 9 August 2018

260 pages, 47 b/w illus. 1 map
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.4 cm, 0.5 kg

"...fine discussion of urban life...a genuine attempt to introduce Late Antiquity from the lived experiences of its inhabitants...succeeds magnificently." --Medieval Archaeology

Daily Life in Late Antiquity is the first comprehensive study of lived experience in the Late Roman Empire, from c.250–600 CE. Each of the six topical chapters highlight historical 'everyday' people, spaces, and objects, whose lives operate as windows into the late ancient economy, social relations, military service, religious systems, cultural habits, and the material environment. However, it is nevertheless grounded in late ancient primary sources - many of which are available in accessible English translations - and the most recent, cutting-edge scholarship by specialists in fields such as archaeology, social history, religious studies, and environmental history. From Manichean rituals to military service, gladiatorial combat to garbage collection, patrician households to peasant families, Daily Life in Late Antiquity introduces readers to the world of late antiquity from the bottom up.

1. Rural life
2. Urban life
3. The household
4. The state in everyday life
5. Body and mind
6. Lived religion
Appendix: measuring time and money in late antiquity.

Subject Areas: Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], European history [HBJD]