Eager to Be Roman : Greek Response to Roman Rule in Pontus and Bithynia

"Eager to be Roman" is an important investigation into the ways in which the population of Pontus et Bithynia, a Greek province in the northwestern part of Asia Minor (on the southern shore of the Black Sea), engaged culturally with the Roman Empire. Scholars have long presented Greek provincials as highly attached to their Hellenic background and less affected by Rome's influence than Spaniards, Gauls or Britons. More recent studies have acknowledged that some elements of Roman culture and civic life found their way into Greek communities and that members of the Greek elite obtained Roman citizen rights and posts in the imperial administration, though for purely pragmatic reasons. Drawing on a detailed investigation of literary works and epigraphic evidence, Jesper Madsen demonstrates that Greek intellectuals and members of the local elite in this province were in fact keen to identify themselves as Roman, and that imperial connections and Roman culture were prestigious in the eyes of their Greek readers and fellow-citizens. Eager to be Roman is an important investigation into the ways in which the population of Pontus et Bithynia, a Greek province in the northwestern part of Asia Minor (on the southern shore of the Black Sea), engaged culturally with the Roman Empire. Scholars have long presented Greek provincials as highly attached to their Hellenic background and less affected by Rome's influence than Spaniards, Gauls or Britons. More recent studies have acknowledged that some elements of Roman culture and civic life found their way into Greek communities and that members of the Greek elite obtained Roman citizen rights and posts in the imperial administration, though for purely pragmatic reasons. Drawing on a detailed investigation of literary works and epigraphic evidence, Jesper Madsen demonstrates that Greek intellectuals and members of the local elite in this province were in fact keen to identify themselves as Roman, and that imperial connections and Roman culture were prestigious in the eyes of their Greek readers and fellow-citizens.--Book jacket. Cover Contents Preface List of illustrations Introduction 1. A Governor at Work 2. Roman Rule in Pontus and Bithynia The Pompeian provincialisation The polis constitution in Pontus and Bithynia Emperor-worship: Greek traditions and Roman influence A question of temples Greek autonomy and Roman rule 3. Greeks in the Roman World Greek influence on Roman politics In Roman service Roman Greeks 4. Turning Roman in Pontus and Bithynia Becoming legally Roman Affiliation to the emperor Roman names, status and identity Roman identity and Greek pragmatism 5. Responses to Roman Rule Dio Chrysostom: a bitter patriot L. Flavius Arrianus: a Roman authority and a nostalgic Greek Cassius Dio: a Roman from Bithynia Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index Locorum A C D E F G H L M P S T X General Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z