Constantine and Rome [Hardcover]

R. Ross Holloway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0300100434 | ISBN-13: 978-0300100433

Constantine the Great (285-337) played a crucial role in mediating between the pagan, imperial past of the city of Rome, which he conquered in 312, and its future as a Christian capital. In this learned and highly readable book, Ross Holloway examines Constantine's remarkable building programme in Rome. Holloway begins by examining the Christian Church in the period before the Peace of 313, when Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius ended the persecution of the Christians. He then focuses on the structure, style, and significance of important monuments: the Arch of Constantine and the two great Christian basilicas, St. John's in the Lateran and St. Peter's, as well as the imperial mausoleum at Tor Pignatara. In a final chapter Holloway advances a new interpretation of the archaeology of the Tomb of St. Peter beneath the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica. The tomb, he concludes, was not the original resting place of the remains venerated as those of the Apostle but was created only in 251 by Pope Cornelius. Drawing on the most up-to-date archaeological evidence, he describes a cityscape that was at once Christian and pagan, mirroring the personality of its ruler.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book takes on a period of immense historical change and explains how Constantine came to accept Christianity, not only as a spiritual force, but as a political institution that reconstituted the empire. It is important for scholars and students alike."—Eve D'Ambra, Vassar College

“This account is lucid . . . even supportive of the Berensonian view that Constantinian sculptors were ‘inept,’ rather than expressing a different sensibility. . . . A sober account of a seminal transformation. Highly recommended.”—Choice

From the Back Cover

"This book takes on a period of immense historical change and explains how Constantine came to accept Christianity, not only as a spiritual force but as a political institution that reconstituted the empire. It is important for scholars and students alike."-Eve D'Ambra, Vassar College

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (May 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300100434
• ISBN-13: 978-0300100433
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rome at the crossroads, March 31, 2006

By 

Eve Dambra "Eve D'Ambra" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Constantine and Rome (Hardcover)

This books focuses on Rome at a crucial historical period for its development as a city, empire, and symbol of civilization. The author, who has spent nearly a lifetime engaged in these issues, provides much more than a synthesis of the often contentious and thorny scholarship. For the archaeological and art historical material, he gives standard interpretations their due but is not afraid of expressing ideas that may go against the grain of some contemporary trends. There is a breadth of scholarship here that is worn lightly and does not bog down the text. The book is important for its consideration of the so-called end of Rome and the beginnings of the Christian empire.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Highly Readable?, October 18, 2004

By 

Rachel K. Skov - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Constantine and Rome (Hardcover)

After checking all of Holloway's sources, at least the ones that are in English, it seems that he failed miserably in reflecting the vast amount of knowledge he surely gained on the subject matter. This book was written during Holloway's sabbatical in Rome. It reflects a sum of seemingly misguided information, and is anything but readable. I've never read a worse book on Constantine and Rome. The whole book is thrown together in four chapters and sort of reads like a tour guide pamphlet. This book was nothing but a disappointment, with Holloway's credentials, one must speculate whether those editors even read the book, considering it would be likely to take one look at his extended resume and other publications and just run it through the press. There is hardly an introduction, and definately not a conclusion. The fourth paragraph on St. Peter's is not only divergent from most scholarly opinion but noteably the most frusterating chapter to read. Holloway constantly contradicts his words from one sentence to the next, and from one paragraph to the next. It seems as though every sentence begins with an unidentified pronoun and the reader is expected to just read on not knowing what Holloway is going on about and find out later. Any Medieval Rome student probably knows as much as Holloway about the subject, and this book should not be approached from an academic level, or even for pleasure reading. I would give the first chapter some credibility. Maybe Holloway should look into writing historical fiction. He seems to come up with an occasional fictional ideas regarding his archeological research. He appears to be highly imaginative and learned Professor who failed to reflect his knowledge through writing. It is quite a dissapointment that someone with such high praise from the archeological society would take a publication this late in his career so lightly.