Theodosius II

Rethinking the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity

Christopher Kelly

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9781107038585
• eBook ISBN:
  9781107273535
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

Theodosius II (AD 408–450) was the longest reigning Roman emperor. Ever since Edward Gibbon, he has been dismissed as mediocre and ineffectual. Yet Theodosius ruled an empire which retained its integrity while the West was broken up by barbarian invasions. This book explores Theodosius' challenges and successes. Ten essays by leading scholars of late antiquity provide important new insights into the court at Constantinople, the literary and cultural vitality of the reign, and the presentation of imperial piety and power. Much attention has been directed towards the changes promoted by Constantine at the beginning of the fourth century; much less to their crystallisation under Theodosius II. This volume explores the working out of new conceptions of the Roman Empire - its history, its rulers and its God. A substantial introduction offers a new framework for thinking afresh about the long transition from the classical world to Byzantium.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Theodosius II
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Contributors
• Preface
• Frequently cited texts
• Chronological table
• Abbreviations
• Part I Introduction
• Chapter 1 Rethinking Theodosius
• Part II Arcana Imperii
• Chapter 2 Men without women:
• Chapter 3 Theodosius and his generals
• Chapter 4 Theodosius II and the politics of the first Council of Ephesus
• Chapter 5 Olympiodorus of Thebes and eastern triumphalism
• Part III Past and present
• Chapter 6 Mapping the world under Theodosius II
• Chapter 7 ‘The insanity of heretics must be restrained’
• Chapter 8 Writing in Greek
• Part IV Pius princeps
• Chapter 9 Stooping to conquer
• Chapter 10 The imperial subject
• Chapter 11 Theodosius II and his legacy in anti-Chalcedonian communal memory
• Bibliography
• Index