Product Description

Was Domitian a despot? Jones argues that the Court rather than the Senate was the centre of Domitian's power and of his cultural ambitions. This is the first biography of the ruler ever to appear in English.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #635807 in Books
• Published on: 1993-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Back Cover
Domitian, Emperor of Rome AD 81-96, has traditionally been portrayed as a tyrant, and his later years on the throne as a `reign of terror'; his death bringing a restoration of liberty and inaugurating the glorious rule of the `five good emperors'. It is less well known that he was an able, meticulous administrator, a reformer of the economy, with a building programme designed to ensure that Rome not only was the capital of the world but looked like it as well.
Brian Jones's biography of the emperor, the first ever in English and the first in any language for nearly a century, offers a balanced interpretation of the life of Domitian. In taking into account recent scholarship and new epigraphic and archaeological discoveries, The Emperor Domitian proposes that Domitian was a ruthless but efficient autocrat with a sound foreign policy, and rejects the traditional view that dismisses him as a vicious tyrant. His harshness was felt by a comparatively minute, but highly vocal section of the population, who included those who wrote the history of his reign. Brian Jones argues that his relationship with the court rather than with the senate is central to understanding his policies and in explaining his reputation. The book further challenges many of the assumptions concerning Domitian's connection with the persecution of the early Christians.
Domitian remains one of the most important and intriguing of the Roman rulers. Roman historians will have to take account of this new biography which in part represents a rehabilitation of Domitian.

Customer Reviews

Clearly presented
Although a technical book for the average reader, the details are nevertheless clearly laid out in each section. Its also refreshing to read the truth about Domitian, rather than the foolish character often envisaged. Would benefit from figures and diagrams.