Diocletian and the Roman Recovery

276 Pages·2000·21.541 MB·English

by  Stephen Williams

·DIOCLETIAN·
AND THE ROMAN
RECOVERY
To the Memory of
Arthur Peachey and Jim Miller
· DIOCLETIAN ·
AND THE ROMAN
RECOVERY
STEPHEN WILLIAMS
NEW YORK LONDON
First published in 1985 in the United States of America by Methuen, Inc.
First published 1985 in Great Britain by Batsford.
First published in paperback 1997
This paperback edition published 2000
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London, EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor and Francis Group
© 1985 Stephen Williams
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Williams, Stephen, 1942-
Diocletian and the Roman Recovery I Stephen Williams.
p. em.
Originally published: New York: Methuen, 1985.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-415-91827-8 (pbk)
1. Diocletian, Emperor ofRome, 245-313.
2. Rome-History-Diocletian, 284-305.
3. Rome-History-Constantines, 306-363.
I. Title.
DG313.W54 1996
937' .08-dc20 96-30213
CIP
ISBN 0-415-91827-8
·CONTENTS·
Prologue
PART ONE -CRISIS
I The Third-Century Collapse
z Virtus Illyrici
PART TWO -EMERGENCE 39
3 Jove and Hercules 4 I
4 The Tetrarchy 6I
j Victory and Consolidation-Britain, Africa, the Danube 7I
6 Victory and Consolidation-Egypt and Persia 78
PART THREE-THE NEW ORDER 89
7 Defence in Depth 9 I
8 The Recasting of Government Ioz
9 Finance, Taxation, Inflation I I j
IO A Command Economy 126
I I The New Order I40
PART FOUR-TRIUMPHS AND DEFEATS I j I
I z The Gods are Alive I j 3
13 Politeia Christi I63
I4 The Great Persecution I73
I j Abortive Renewal I86
PART FIVE-AFTERMATH ZOI
I6 Constantine's Completion zo3
I7 In the Long Run zi I
APPENDIX I Diocletian's Provincial Reorganisation zz I
II Diocletian's Edict on Maximum Prices ZZ4
III Roman Emperors from Mar£:us Aurelius to Theodosius zz8
IV Biographical Notes z3o
BIBLIOGRAPHY Z 3 I
REFERENCES 236
INDEX Zj9
·ILLUSTRATIONS·
PLATES (between pages ll2 and llJ)
I Imperial bust of Diocletian, found at Nicomedia
2 Porphyry bust of Diocletian
3 Consular gold medallion of Diocletian and Maximian (observe and reverse)
4 Porphyry statue of the Tetrarchy, St Mark's Square, Venice
' Coin portrait of Carausius
6 Coin portrait of Allectus
7 The Arras medallion (obverse and reverse)
8 Panels from the Triumphal Arch of Galerius, Salonica
9 Coin portrait of Galerius
I o Portchester Castle
I I Fragment of the Edict on Maximum Prices
I 2 Peristyle of Diocletian's Palace at Split
I 3 The Porta Nigra at Trier
I4 Silver missorium of the Catholic Emperor Theodosius
LINE ILLUSTRATIONS
I Main invasion routes between c. 250 and 285 21
2 The Strata Diocletiana 9'
3 Change in fortress architecture between the second century and the
end of the third century Ioo
4 Diocletian's reorganised Empire with its 12 Dioceses Io6
6
·ACI<NOWLEDGEMENTS·
I am especially grateful to Professor Robert Browning for his kind help and
encouragement, and to Professor Fergus Millar for his generous and indispensable
guidance at several stages of this book, on what must often have seemed quite naive
questions. Whatever errors and faults remain despite his advice, are entirely my own.
I am indebted too to Professor Tony Honore for his ready help in the area of
Roman Law and Diocletian's contribution to its codification. Thanks are also due to
Professor John Wilkes, and particularly to Professor Tomislav Marasovic of Split
Urban Planning Institute, and Dr Branko Kirigin of Split Archaeological Museum,
who were both very welcoming on our visit to the city and palace. The presence of
Diocletian hovers over Split; and I would be most happy to think that this book
might make him a little better known to some of the many visitors there.
My deep thanks to Patricia Morgan, who read and commented on several drafts of
the chapters and gave unstinting support in every other way. For their moral
encouragement and other help, Herbert Jarmany and Charles Langley have my
warm appreciation.
I also thank Professor Ramsay MacMullen for permission to quote from his
excellent study of this period, and for facilitating my use of the Worcester bust
photo. I do indeed agree with him that Diocletian was one of that rare species in
imperial history, an Emperor with ideas, and I hope I have sustained that claim.
Stephen Wiiliams
7
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