Roman Phrygia: Culture and Society (Greek Culture in the Roman World)

The bleak steppe and rolling highlands of inner Anatolia were one of the most remote and underdeveloped parts of the Roman empire. Still today, for most historians of the Roman world, ancient Phrygia largely remains terra incognita. Yet thanks to a startling abundance of Greek and Latin inscriptions on stone, the cultural history of the villages and small towns of Roman Phrygia is known to us in vivid and unexpected detail. Few parts of the Mediterranean world offer so rich a body of evidence for rural society in the Roman Imperial and late antique periods, and for the flourishing of ancient Christianity within this landscape. The eleven essays in this book offer new perspectives on the remarkable culture, lifestyles, art and institutions of the Anatolian uplands in antiquity. Maps and figures Contributors Preface Abbreviations 1 Phrygia: an anarchist history, 950 BC-AD 100 Introduction The land of Phrygia: a sketch Phrygia 950-330 BC: society against the state Phrygia 330-100 BC: acculturation and colonialism Phrygia 100 BC-AD 1: the emergence of civic life Roman Phrygia: an urban society? Conclusion: being Phrygian 2 In the Phrygian mode: a region seen from without* 3 The personal onomastics of Roman Phrygia* 1. The Phrygians in Asia Minor: archaic and classical periods 2. Hellenistic Phrygia 3. Roman Phrygia 4. Survivals 5. Conclusion. 4 Grave monuments and local identities in Roman PhrygiaPreliminary remarks The social function of grave-types with a door façade Local identities in Roman Phrygia Stories of urbanization 5 Phrygians in relief: trends in self-representation The archaeological context The Phrygian cosmos Props: building biographies The Phrygian body Clothing The arm sling Military uniform The peasant cloak Phrygian women: further comments Phrygian families The depiction of children Physical touch Households and extended families Concluding remarks: lives in stone. 6 Households and families in Roman PhrygiaEpitaphs and social history 'Nuclear' families The Phrygian 'norm': the extended multiple-family household Marriage: the ubiquitous daughter-in-law, the absent son-in-law Marriage: age, custom Children: sons and daughters Slaves and threptoi Conclusion 7 Law in Roman Phrygia: rules and jurisdictions* Outlining the problems Justice and its practitioners Patterns of jurisdiction Interaction of rules Conclusion 8 An epigraphic probe into the origins of Montanism* 9 The 'crypto-Christian' inscriptions of Phrygia. Introduction: Christianity in PhrygiaCrypto-Christianity: a short history Christian epitaphic formulae The uses of ambiguity Conclusion 10 Phrygian marble and stonemasonry as markers of regional distinctiveness in Late Antiquity Roman Imperial period Late Antiquity Church building Dokimeion in Late Antiquity Pavonazzetto Pilaster capitals Architectural sculpture mainly used in central Anatolia Liturgical furniture Templon screens Champlevé Ambos Summary and conclusion 11 The history of an idea: tracing the origins of the MAMA project* Bibliography Index. Phrygia : An Anarchist History, 950 Bc -- Ad 100 / Peter Thonemann -- In The Phrygian Mode : A Region Seen From Without / Barbara Levick -- The Personal Onomastics Of Roman Phrygia / Claude Brixhe -- Grave Monuments And Local Identities In Roman Phrygia / Ute Kelp -- Phrygians In Relief : Trends In Self-representation / Jane Masseglia -- Households And Families In Roman Phrygia / Peter Thonemann -- Law In Roman Phrygia : Rules And Jurisdictions / Georgy Kantor -- An Epigraphic Probe Into The Origins Of Montanism / Stephen Mitchell -- The 'crypto-christian' Inscriptions Of Phrygia / Edouard Chiricat -- Phrygian Marble And Stonemasonry As Markers Of Regional Distinctiveness In Late Antiquity / Philipp Niewohner -- The History Of An Idea : Tracing The Origins Of The Mama Project / Charlotte Roueche. Edited By Peter Thonemann. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This multidisciplinary collection of essays transforms our understanding of ancient inner Anatolia, one of the most fascinating and understudied regions of the Roman empire. With essays on law, religion, architecture and art history, this book will be essential reading for all social and cultural historians of the Roman world. The first synthesis of the remarkable cultural history of the highlands of inner Anatolia under Roman rule.