John Lydus and the Roman Past

John Lydus and the Roman Past offers a new interpretation of the emergence of Byzantine society as viewed through the eyes of John Lydus, a sixth-century scholar and civil servant. Maas show that control of classical inheritance was politically contested in the reign of Justinian. He demonstrates how the past could be used to convey legitimacy and social definition at a time of profound change.

Maas, Michael

Introduction: John Lydus and the Silver Heirloom; 1. Changes in the Age of Justinian; 2. Portrait of a Bureaucrat; 3. The Ideologica Transformation of Tradition; 4. De Mensibus and the Antiquarian Tradition; 5. Paganisim and Politics; 6. De Magistratibus and the Theory of Imperial Restoration; 7. Lydus and the Philosophers; 8. De ostentis: Portents and the Enemies of Ptolemy; 9. Conclusion: Collusion; Appendix I: Authorities cited by Lydus; Bibliography