Late Roman rule and provincial expectations: The governor and his subjects.
详细信息
文摘
For centuries,provincial communities in the Roman Empire dealt with the presence of governors---a presence that created a certain expectation in behavior,both for provincials and for governors themselves. This dissertation seeks to develop our appreciation of the relationship between provincials and governors in the period of the Late Roman Empire,with a focus on the perspective of provincial subjects. Tapping diverse source material literary,legal,epigraphic,artistic),the aim is to illuminate how provincials dealt with the presence and authority of their governor. Questions such as how provincials communicated their needs to governors,how they expressed their opinions both favorable and critical) of governors behavior,and how they rewarded good governors,give precious insight into the world of Late Roman provincial administration. Routine,ceremonial,privileges and obligations played key roles in the ways that both provincials and governors tried to gain as much as possible from their interactions. This dissertation addresses two notable deficiencies in modern scholarship on provincial government. First,there is no sustained study of the position and function of governors in the Late Roman Empire. Second,the traditional focus on the point of view of the Roman authorities has created a serious neglect of provincials perspective,which merits study in its own right. Without the cooperation of provincials,governors could not function successfully during their term of office. Even though the presence of Roman authorities like governors was a permanent one,and provincials were accustomed to dealing with governors all the time,individual governors presence was temporary,because of their short term of office. The interdependence of individual governors and provincials is striking,and it deserves more recognition. While the dissertation is a case study of the relationship between provincials and governors,it also contributes to broader issues of concern in historical studies---among them,interaction between ruler and subjects in a large empire,the workings of social structure and hierarchy,and patronage.