Image and Reality of Roman Imperial Power in the Third Century AD focuses on the wide range of available sources of Roman imperial power in the period AD 193-284, ranging from literary and economic texts, to coins and other artefacts. This volume examines the impact of war on the foundations of the economic, political, military, and ideological power of third-century Roman emperors, and the lasting effects of this. This detailed study offers insight into this complex and transformative period in Roman history and will be a valuable resource to any student of Roman imperial power.

Lukas de Blois is Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at Radboud University at Nijmegen in The Netherlands. He published books and articles on the history of the Roman Empire in the third century AD, the history of the Late Roman Republic, ancient historiography (Sallust, Tacitus, Cassius Dio), Plutarch's biographies, and Greek Sicily in the fourth century BC. He also published a manual, together with Bert van der Spek (L. de Blois & R.J. van der Spek, Introduction to the Ancient World 3^rd edition, Routledge, forthcoming).

Image and Reality of Roman Imperial Power in the Third Century AD focuses on the wide range of available sources of Roman imperial power in the period AD 193-284, ranging from literary and economic texts, to coins and other artefacts. This volume examines the impact of war on the foundations of the economic, political, military, and ideological power of third-century Roman emperors, and the lasting effects of this. This detailed study offers insight into this complex and transformative period in Roman history and will be a valuable resource to any student of Roman imperial power.

List of maps

Preface

Abbreviations

Maps

CHAPTER I : Introduction

1. The Roman Empire about AD 200
2. Power, ancient and modern
3. Available sources

• Literary texts
• Juridical texts
• Inscriptions, coins, and papyrus texts
• Archaeological evidence

1.4 Status quaestionis

CHAPTER II: Wars

2.1 Escalation, crisis, and recovery

2.2 The Severan era from AD 193 to 230

2.3 Escalation: the years 231-249

2.4 Crisis: the years 249-268

2.5 Recovery: the years 268-284

2.6 Conclusions

CHAPTER III: Economic sources of imperial power, AD 193-284

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Tax territories

3.3 Mining

3.4 Imperial domains

3.5 Debasement of the imperial coinage

3.6 Conclusions

CHAPTER IV: Sources of military and political imperial power, AD 193-284

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Sources of military power

4.3 Networks and administrative personnel

- Changing appointment policies

- The local level

- The emperor's bureaucracy

4.4 Conclusions

CHAPTER V: Ideological sources of imperial power

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Good imperial behavior and general goodwill

5.3 A permanent potential for victory

5.4 Dynastic claims

5.5 Infant emperors

5.6 Divine associations

CHAPTER VI: Conclusions

Bibliography

Index