This is the first book to analyse urban social relations in the eastern Roman Empire through the perspective of one elite family. From the late first to the mid-third century CE, the Vedii and their descendants were magistrates, priests and priestesses of local and imperial cults, and presided over Ephesos' many religious festivals. They were also public benefactors, paying for the construction of public buildings for the pleasure of fellow citizens. This study examines the material evidence of their activities - the buildings with their epigraphic and decorative programs – to show how members of the family created monuments to enhance their own and their family's prestige. It also discusses the inscriptions of the honorific statue monuments raised by the city and its sub-groups for the family in return for their benefactions, arguing that these reflect the community's values and interests as much as they commemorate the benefactors and their families.
By:
Angela Kalinowski (University of Saskatchewan Canada)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 251mm,
Width: 176mm,
Spine: 31mm
Weight: 972g
ISBN: 9781108477871
ISBN 10: 1108477879
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 15 July 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction; 1. Community, identity and memory in Roman Ephesos; 2. The Vedii: a family's history in Ephesos; 3. 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' The Vedii and the goddess of Ephesos; 4. Fun and games in Roman Ephesos: the Vedii, the Agonistic festivals and the imperial cult; 5. The Vedii and the associations of Ephesos; 6. The Vedii and their civic buildings in Ephesos; Conclusions: the Vedii: a family's place in the community and the commemorative landscape of Ephesos; Appendix one: Who's who among the Ephesian Vedii and Flavii Vedii.
Angela Kalinowski is a historian of ancient Roman culture whose modus operandi is interdisciplinary. She has published on archaeology, history and epigraphy. She was associate director of excavations at Bir Ftouha, Carthage (Bir Ftouha, A Pilgrimage Church Complex at Carthage, 2005), and has published on the inscriptions of Ephesos, and mosaics in Tunisia. She teaches ancient history at the University of Saskatchewan.
Reviews for Memory, Family, and Community in Roman Ephesos
'The book will be a welcome addition to research libraries of individuals or institutions prioritizing work on the Roman East.' Christopher B. Zeichmann, Canadian Journal of History
