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Measures of Difference: The Fourth-Century Transformation of the Roman Imperial Court
- American Journal of Philology
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 132, Number 1 (Whole Number 525), Spring 2011
- pp. 125-151
- 10.1353/ajp.2011.0011
- Article
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Compared to its first-to-third century antecedents, the Roman imperial court of the fourth century exhibits markedly distinctive features; certain differences may be judged cosmetic, but others suggest a transformative shift in the court as a social and administrative institution. This discussion focuses on: the applicability to the Late Roman case of an influential generalizing theory of court formation and society, and the partial anticipation of modern "court studies" discourse by Gibbon; the altered social composition and expanded size of the court's personnel, the structural complexity of its bureaucratic apparatus, and their combined transformative effects; the role of purposeful reforms and innovations as drivers of long-term change; Ammianus' perceptions of the transformed court.