Empire of Honour: The Art of Government in the Roman World [Paperback]

J. E. Lendon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0199247633 | ISBN-13: 978-0199247639 | Publication Date: January 17, 2002

Jon Lendon offers a bold new analysis of how Roman government worked in the first four centuries AD. He contends that a despotism rooted in force and fear enjoyed widespread support among the ruling classes of the provinces on the basis of an aristocratic culture of honor shared by rulers and ruled.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Empire of Honour is a very fine book. It is a delight to read and opens up for exploration subtle aspects of the exercise of power in the Roman empire."--Hans Van Wees, University College London

About the Author

J. E. Lendon is at University of Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199247633
• ISBN-13: 978-0199247639
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #356,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous coruscating prose; fascinating premise, June 18, 2002

By 

Katya Reimann (Saint Paul, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire of Honour: The Art of Government in the Roman World (Paperback)

In the 21st century, the culture of the aristocrat is largely a faded memory, and noble values--such as "honor" are largely viewed with suspicion as having fallen into disregard. This book is a serious attempt to reimagine Rome's alien culture, and to refine and revive conceptions of honor as people now dead 2000 years regarded it.

Unrepentantly a book for experts, yet written with a verve and sheer joy in language that makes it accessible to the more casual reader. As Lendon begins: "On what was to be the last day of his life, the Emperor Nero awoke to find that the palace sentries had abandoned their posts." The reader is--on some level at least <g>--in for a wild and glorious ride from that point forward!

Whether the author himself would appreciate this or not, this book would do well in the library of the fantasy role-playing expert, looking to build a convincing scenario around a "Gladiator" style setting!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Now I Finally Understand All Those Pompous Roman Letters, March 29, 2010

By 

Thomas M. Keane (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Empire of Honour: The Art of Government in the Roman World (Paperback)

This is a fascinating book about the ways in which status, recognition, and the conferral of distinctions were used to govern the Roman empire and a compelling explanation of such methods' genesis in Greco-Roman culture. It assumes a high degree of familiarity with Roman history, but complete familiarity with the book's historical references is not necessary to appreciate the basic argument being made. Also, for the first time for me, this book makes sense of a great deal of the seemingly gassy Roman letters and inscriptions praising various people.