Social Conflict in the Age of Justinian: Its Nature, Management, and Mediation
Peter N. Bell
Abstract
Our understanding of Late Antiquity can be transformed by the non-dogmatic application of social theory to more traditional evidence when studying major social conflicts in the Eastern Roman Empire, not least under the Emperor Justinian (527–565). This book explores a range of often violent conflicts across the whole empire — on the land, in religion, and in sport — during this pivotal period in European history. Drawing on both sociology and social psychology, and on personal experiences as a senior British Civil Servant dealing with violent political conflicts in Northern Ireland and elsewhe ... More
Our understanding of Late Antiquity can be transformed by the non-dogmatic application of social theory to more traditional evidence when studying major social conflicts in the Eastern Roman Empire, not least under the Emperor Justinian (527–565). This book explores a range of often violent conflicts across the whole empire — on the land, in religion, and in sport — during this pivotal period in European history. Drawing on both sociology and social psychology, and on personal experiences as a senior British Civil Servant dealing with violent political conflicts in Northern Ireland and elsewhere, the author of this book shows that such conflicts were a basic feature of the overwhelmingly agricultural political economy of the empire. These conflicts were reflected at the ideological level and lead to intense persecution of intellectuals and Pagans as an ever more robust Christian ideological hegemony was established. In challenging the loyalties of all social classes, they also increased the vulnerability of an emperor and his allies. The need to legitimise the emperor, through an increasingly sacralised monarchy, and to build a loyal constituency, consequently remained a top priority for Justinian, even if his repeated efforts to unite the churches failed.
Keywords:
late antiquity,
social theory,
eastern roman empire,
emperor justinian,
violent conflicts,
pagans,
christians,
monarchy
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2013 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199567331 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: May 2013 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567331.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Peter N. Bell, author
Member of Common Room, Wolfson College, Oxford
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