BSS 7

Urban life and local politics in Roman Bithynia. The small world of Dion Chrysostomos

By Tønnes Bekker-Nielsen, Aarhus University Press 2008

Most studies of Roman local administration focus on the formal structures of power: provincial laws, imperial edicts, urban institutions and magistracies. This book explores the interplay of formal politics with informal factors such as social prejudice, parochialism and personal rivalries in the cities of northwestern Asia Minor from the first to the fifth centuries AD. Through a detailed analysis of the municipal speeches and career of the philosopher-politician Dion Chrysostomos, we gain new insights into the petty conflicts and lofty ambitions of an ancient provincial small-town politician and those around him.

Table of contents and download of pdf-files

Preface and contents (p. 3-12)

1. Introduction (p. 13-20)

2. Before the Romans (p. 21-30)

3. Windows on the past (p. 31-44)

4. The urban environment (p. 45-60)

5. Political institutions (p. 61-96)

6. The potical class (p. 97-118)

7. A political biography: Dion Chrysostomos (p. 119-146)

8. The Bithynian cities under the Later Empire (p. 147-164)

9. Conclusions: Urban life and local politics (p. 165-176)

Appendix: The dates of Dion's municipal orations (p. 177-180)