From Augustus to Theodosius
Constantinople’s other great advantage was the deimperialization, so to speak, of emperors. The word we use in English, “emperor,” derives through French from the...
The first Christian emperor
Constantine, the first Christian emperor, saw the possibilities in the place. He was brilliant in both his plan for the city and its execution....
WHAT BECOMES Of THE ROMAN-HEARTED
Yet there were women among them who were to these as they were to town ladies, country women from a remoter country. The eyes...
A sexual instrument for the lord
Fourth, the privilege of the wealthy was reflected in some extraordinary vulnerabilities among the rest of society. A little girl growing up on the...
LIVING IN THE SOCIAL WORLD
Every page of our story assumes a society of huge chasms with wealth and status running among people who lived with each other every...
Shrinking dramatically
The urban landscape of the Greco-Roman world had traditionally emphasized the public and the monumental. By the sixth century, cities in the west were...
A slave named Proiectus
For one rich man who died in the mid-sixth century, we have an inventory of his household property taken before it was knocked down...
Gaulish fashion for trousers
Clothing varied by climate. The Roman toga was long gone except as a form of fancy dress for a very few. Tunic and cloak...
Perils of the body were scarcely less threatening
The other perils of the body were scarcely less threatening. Disease could take even the strong in a matter of hours or days. Yet...
Slightly less elegant and also less expensive
Slightly less elegant and also less expensive was the Spanish fish sauce called garum, made by steeping fish eggs and entrails in brine. Garum...
