The Emperor and Rome
Space, Representation, and Ritual

This book explores ancient Rome under the impact of monarchy and as one of the structures which shaped the monarchy itself.

Björn C. Ewald (Edited by), Carlos F. Noreña (Edited by)

9781107519060, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 July 2015

388 pages, 128 b/w illus. 4 maps
24.4 x 17 x 2.1 cm, 0.66 kg

The transition from republic to monarchy with the accession of Augustus heralded the transformation not just of the Roman political system but of the city of Rome itself. This volume, written by some of the foremost scholars from around the world, addresses three main topics: the impact of imperial building programs on the configuration of space within the city and on the evolution of Rome's urban image; the various ways in which the figure of the emperor himself was represented, both visually and symbolically, in the city's urban fabric; and the performance of rituals and ceremonies that expressed key imperial ideals and values and enabled communications between the emperor and important collectivities in the city. The contributors build on important recent developments in research: increased archaeological excavation and restoration, the proliferation of digital technologies, and the greater attention paid by scholars to the centuries after Augustus.

Introduction Björn C. Ewald and Carlos F. Noreña
1. By the emperor, for the people: 'popular' architecture in Rome Paul Zanker
2. The emperor and senatorial aristocracy in competition for public space Werner Eck
3. Propaganda, staged applause, or local politics? Public monuments from Augustus to Septimius Severus Emanuel Mayer
4. Pompey's Theater and Tiberius' Temple of Concord: a Late Republican primer for an early Imperial patron James E. Packer
5. Antonine Rome: security in the homeland Mary T. Boatwright
6. Liberator urbis suae: Constantine and the ghost of Maxentius Elizabeth Marlowe
7. The portraits of Roman emperors and their families: controversial positions and unresolved problems Klaus Fittschen
8. Crossing the pomerium: the armed ruler at Rome Michael Koortbojian
9. How the Emperor Nero lost acceptance in Rome Egon Flaig
10. The imperial funerary pyre as a work of ephemeral architecture Eve D'Ambra
11. Roman imperial funerals in effigie Javier Arce.

Subject Areas: Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], History of art: ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE [ACG]