The Shape of the Roman Order

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304 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 6 maps, notes, bibl., index

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4696-3182-0
Published: March 2017
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-6870-3
Published: November 2021
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-1-4696-3183-7
Published: February 2017
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-5144-4
Published: February 2017

Studies in the History of Greece and Rome

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In recent years, a long-established view of the Roman Empire during its great age of expansion has been called into question by scholars who contend that this model has made Rome appear too much like a modern state. This is especially true in terms of understanding how the Roman government ordered the city--and the world around it--geographically. In this innovative, systematic approach, Daniel J. Gargola demonstrates how important the concept of space was to the governance of Rome. He explains how Roman rulers, without the means for making detailed maps, conceptualized the territories under Rome’s power as a set of concentric zones surrounding the city. In exploring these geographic zones and analyzing how their magistrates performed their duties, Gargola examines the idiosyncratic way the elite made sense of the world around them and how it fundamentally informed the way they ruled over their dominion.

From what geometrical patterns Roman elites preferred to how they constructed their hierarchies in space, Gargola considers a wide body of disparate materials to demonstrate how spatial orientation dictated action, shedding new light on the complex peculiarities of Roman political organization.

About the Author

Daniel J. Gargola is associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky.
For more information about Daniel J. Gargola, visit the Author Page.