Les réformes menées sous Dioclétien et Constantin établirent des circonscriptions et des hiérarchies administratives qui demeurèrent stables dans les Gaules, les Espagnes et en Bretagne, tout au long du IVe siècle. Suite aux usurpations du début du Ve siècle et aux installations des groupes barbares, le pouvoir préfectoral arlésien perdit progressivement le contrôle sur ces provinces, ce qui perturba le fonctionnement de l’appareil fiscal. Au Ve siècle, des membres des familles sénatoriales les plus en vue, souvent originaires du diocèse des Sept Provinces, accaparèrent la charge de préfet du prétoire des Gaules. L’administration des provinces gauloises et hispaniques qui reconnaissaient encore le pouvoir impérial fut alors de plus en plus décentralisée. À partir de la fin des années 460, des aristocrates gallo ou hispano-romains apparaissent comme étant au service des rois, un phénomène qui indique que ces pouvoirs barbares devenaient des acteurs politiques incontournables. La disparition de l’autorité impériale en Occident et le fait que les royaumes romano-barbares devinrent des entités politiques autonomes parachevèrent les fragmentations territoriales, politiques et sociales initiées depuis le début du Ve siècle. Ces nouveaux pouvoirs n’eurent d’autres solutions que de conserver une partie des instances de l’administration judiciaire et fiscale romaine et de les adapter aux nouveaux espaces. Ainsi, c’est à l’échelle locale et, surtout, au niveau de la cité que l’essentiel des fonctions de l’administration civile furent dès lors accomplies et que les trois acteurs majeurs de la vie administrative dans la Gaule franque et l’Hispanie wisigothe, à savoir le comte, l’évêque et les élites des cités, évoluèrent. / Reforms established under the age of Diocletian and Constantin set up circumscriptions and administrative hierarchies that remained stable throughout the IVth century in Gaul, Spain and Britain. As a consequence of usurpations at the beginning of the Vth century and of Barbarians’ settlements, the Arlesian prefectoral power progressively lost the control of these provinces, thus perturbing the fiscal system. In the Vth century, the prominent senatorial family members, who were often from the Seven Provinces diocese, monopolized the position of praetorian prefect of Gaul. The administration of Gallic and Spanish provinces, which still recognized the imperial power, became more and more decentralized. As of the late 460's, Gallic and Spanish aristocrats are established as kings' servants, which indicates that these Barbarian leaders were becoming very important political players. In the western territories, the disappearance of the imperial power, together with the fact that the Romano-Germanic kingdoms became autonomous political bodies, finished the territorial, political and social fragmentation process that had started at the beginning of the Vth century. These new power entities had no other solution than keeping some of the Roman legal and fiscal administration authorities and adapting them to the new territories. As a consequence, it is at the local scale, and mostly at city level, that most of the positions in civil administration were located and involved the three main players in the Frankish Gaul and Visigothic Spain administration, namely the count, the bishop and the city élites.

L’étude a pour objet le combat de cavalerie dans le monde romain du Ier siècle a.C. au VIe siècle p.C. Il s’agit d’un travail de synthèse, traitant de la doctrine d’emploi de la cavalerie aux époques impériale et proto-byzantine. Les questions organisationnelles et stratégiques sont abordées, mais la focale est surtout mise sur la tactique et la physionomie du combat. L’objectif de cette recherche est de rendre compte de l’évolution de l’art de la guerre durant la fin de l’Antiquité en analysant spécifiquement les enjeux liés au développement et à l’utilisation de la cavalerie. L’importance croissante des troupes montées dans la stratégie impériale marque en effet une rupture importante dans l’histoire de l’armée romaine. Au primat des guerres offensives, de la bataille rangée et de l’infanterie lourde succède progressivement celui de la temporisation, de la guérilla frontalière et des cavaliers-archers. Ces changements, qui n’ont jamais fait l’objet d’une analyse approfondie, sont ici situés dans le temps long de l’Antiquité romaine. Le dialogue des sources narratives, techniques, figurées et archéologiques permet de dégager un schéma évolutif cohérent, un « développement organique des formes de combat » (Hans Delbrück) que nous nous efforçons de réinscrire dans le contexte plus large de l’évolution de la culture militaire impériale, en attachant une importance particulière au rapport des Romains à la guerre et à leur perception idéale des rôles respectifs de l’infanterie et de la cavalerie. / This study is about cavalry warfare in the Roman world from the 1st century BC to the 6th century AD. It is a work of synthesis dealing with the employment doctrine of cavalry in the imperial and early Byzantine eras. Organizational and strategic issues are discussed, but the focus is mainly put on tactics and battle mechanics. The aim of this research is to account for the evolution of the art of war during the end of Antiquity by analyzing specifically the stakes involved in the development and use of cavalry. The growing importance of mounted troops in the imperial strategy marks an important change in the history of the Roman army, with a gradual shift from offensive warfare, pitched battle and heavy infantry toward deception, frontier warfare and mounted archery. These changes, which have never been the subject of a thorough analysis, are here reviewed in the overall context of Roman history. The cross-analysis of narrative, technical, iconographic and archaeological sources reveals a coherent evolutionary pattern, an "organic development of forms of combat" (Hans Delbrück), which we endeavor to reinsert in the wider context of a changing Roman military culture, attaching particular importance to the Romans' relationship to warfare and to their ideal perception of the respective roles of infantry and cavalry.

Les trésors de vaisselle précieuse de l’Antiquité tardive dans les îles britanniques présentent un corpus d’étude digne d’intérêt à la fois grâce à leur nombre important, à la variété des objets réunis et aux métaux employés. En effet, de nombreux ensembles de vaisselle précieuse ont été ensevelis entre le 3ème et le 5ème siècle en Bretagne romaine, tandis que d’autres dépôts issus de butins de pillage ont été trouvés en dehors des frontières de l’Empire (Écosse et Irlande actuelles). En outre, alors que les grands services d’argenterie y tiennent une part assez exceptionnelle, cette province se démarque du reste de l’Empire par une grande richesse en dépôts constitués de petits objets variés en métaux précieux (or et argent). Enfin, cette région voit se développer de façon quasiment exclusive, dès le 3ème siècle, l’industrie de l’"étain" (un alliage d’étain et de plomb dans des proportions variables), qui se prête bien à l’imitation des plats d’argenterie, donnant ainsi la possibilité à des familles moins aisées de posséder des services entiers de vaisselle de table.À partir de la constitution d’un catalogue de 229 dépôts et objets isolés, cette étude s’ouvre par une analyse typologique de la vaisselle d’argent et d’étain, comprenant l’observation des formes, des éléments décoratifs et de l’iconographie. S’ensuit l’analyse comparative du contenu de ces ensembles et de leur contexte d’enfouissement, menant à l’élaboration de tableaux typologiques et de cartes de répartition géographique. Des différenciations sont ainsi mises en évidence et permettent de tenter une interprétation de ces dépôts, témoins matériels d’une époque bouleversée. / Several hoards of precious vessels come from Roman Britain, some of them were found outside imperial boundaries (Scotland and Ireland) and represent loots of pirates. They were deposited during all Roman period, especially during the 3rd to the 5th centuries. Though large silver treasures are very rare there, this region is very rich in hoards of small precious objects of gold and silver (spoons, strainers, toothpicks, jewellery, coins, ingots…). In the meantime pewter industry flourishes from the 3rd century and vessels of this matter are produced in great quantity and diffused through the entire island, imitating silver vessels of the same period. It is often called the "poor man's silver".Through a descriptive catalogue of 229 Roman pewter and silver vessels hoards and single finds from the British Isles, this study starts with a typological and stylistic analysis of precious vessels and their imitations (forms, decoration, and techniques). It continues with a classification of all treasures and hoards that contain silver or pewter vessels, through a comparison of what they contained and where they were buried. Some of them could be of votive origin, inherited from Bronze Age.

La prière, parce qu’elle suppose une reconnaissance du pouvoir des mots et des gestes, est une pratique tangible et un fait historique. Étudier sa nature et ses évolutions fait progresser la connaissance des comportements et des dispositifs religieux. Ainsi, les prières formulées par les empereurs romains, qu’ils soient païens ou chrétiens, participent de la manifestation de leur pouvoir et de l’expression des rapports complexes entre l’individu, la communauté et le monde divin. Néanmoins la nature de la documentation et la spécificité des différents systèmes religieux conduisent à privilégier une relative synchronie. L’étude des prières récitées par l’empereur dans la célébration des cultes publics permet de préciser l’articulation entre la personne impériale et la communauté publique. Sur le temps long, il est alors possible de discuter les supposées évolutions ou mutations de ces responsabilités et de leurs représentations. Aussi la nature même des prières romaines peut-elle être éclairée au regard des interrogations modernes sur les religions antiques et des concepts de spiritualisation, d’individualisation ou de performance collective. La définition du paysage cultuel des empereurs romains permet de reconsidérer le sens même de la prière individuelle et de ses enjeux religieux et sociaux. L’ensemble de ces approches se prolonge harmonieusement avec le passage du paganisme au christianisme. La place des empereurs dans le culte communautaire, la possible élaboration de dispositifs cultuels spécifiques et la représentation de leurs prières individuelles ou personnelles participent de l’étude historique de la lente constitution d’un christianisme impérial romain divers. / The prayer is a tangible practice and a historical fact. It implies recognition of the power of words and gestures. The study of its nature and evolutions improves knowledge of religious behaviours and setups. Prayers made by pagan or Christian Roman emperors involve representation of their power and show the complex relationship between the person, the community and the divine world. However, the available documentation and the specificity of different religious systems lead to adopt a relative synchrony. The prayers said in public cults are used to study the relationship between the imperial person and public community. It is then possible to have a long-term discussion of the supposed changes or mutations of these responsibilities and their images. The nature of Roman prayers can be discussed by the modern interrogations about antique religions and concepts such as spiritualization, individualization and collective performance. The definition of the Roman emperors worship landscape allows reconsidering the very meaning of individual prayer together with its religious and social issues. All these approaches extend harmoniously from Paganism to early Christianity. The position of emperors in community worship, the development of specific worship setup and representation of individual or personal prayers are part of an historical study focused on the slow formation of a diverse Roman imperial Christianity.

This thesis investigates representations of dynastic legitimacy and imperial power in the later Roman Empire (AD 284-337). It explores the continuity and change in expressions of dynastic legitimacy by, for and about the emperors of this period, which were presented in coinage, panegyrics, and other literary and material evidence. I argue that familial relationships were used throughout this period to make legitimation claims or to counter claims made by rivals, rejecting the notion of clear breaks between the third century, the Tetrarchy and the reign of Constantine. The Tetrarchy’s creation of familial links through adoption and marriage led to a web of inter-familial relationships that they and later emperors used in promoting their own claims to imperial legitimacy. At the same time, the presentation of these imperial colleges as harmonious co-rulership relied heavily on the adaptation of pre-existing strategies, which in turn would be adapted by the emperors of the early fourth century. This thesis proceeds roughly chronologically, focusing on the regimes of individual emperors and their collaborators when possible. Chapter 1 examines the creation of the Tetrarchy as an extended ‘family’ and the adaptation of ideologies of third-century co-rulership. Chapter 2 explores the changes in the Second Tetrarchy, with an especial focus on the ‘Iovian’ family of Galerius and Maximinus Daza. Chapter 3 looks at Maxentius’ claims to both ‘retrospective’ and ‘prospective’ dynastic legitimacy. Chapter 4 examines Licinius’ legitimacy both as a co-ruler and brother-in-law of Constantine, and as the beginning of a new ‘Iovian’ dynasty. Chapter 5 delves deeper into the different claims to dynastic legitimacy made by Constantine over the course of his thirty-year reign. Taken together, these chapters offer a new approach by arguing against the dichotomy between ‘dynasty’ and ‘collegiality’ that tends to dominate scholarship of this period. Instead they focus on the similarities and continuities between the representations of imperial families and imperial colleges in order to understand how perceptions of dynastic legitimacy evolved in the third and fourth centuries.

The purpose of this thesis is to uncover the meaning of the difference between original versions and translations of two texts from Publius Ovidius Naso's Heroides, "Phyllis to Demophoon" and "Phaedra to Hippolytus." The first chapter describes John Dryden's system of translational practices and some theoretical issues surrounding literary translation and its critical interpretation. Even though translations have connections to the source text to some degree, each product of translation is a literary artifact on its own. The second chapter uses three translations of "Phyllis to Demophoon" by respectively Wye Saltonstall, Edward Pooley, and Edward Floyd as case studies demonstrating the variety of literary works that can originate from a single source text. The third chapter interprets Thomas Otway's translation of "Phaedra to Hippolytus" against Ovid's original in order to reveal the extensive presence of a certain characteristic irony in Otway's text. Otway also effectively translates Ovid's witty subtext.

This paper represents the final culmination of a theater senior project. The project consisted of an analytical research paper, performance in a mainstage department production, and supporting process documentation. I portrayed Myrrha, Hunger, Zeus, and others in a production of the play Metamorphoses. Through research on Mary Zimmerman’s 1998 play Metamorphoses, adapted from the works of Roman poet Ovid, this thesis grapples with the historical meaning of the myth of Myrrha. A polarizing figure, Myrrha was cursed to fall in lust with her father. By exploring of portrayals sexual assault onstage, I tackle themes of audience relationships to trauma and taboo subjects. I seek to understand the importance of her story in a modern context, specifically considering the #metoo movement and increasingly public discussions around sexual violence, rape culture, and systematic oppression. I stress our responsibility to understand how codifying stories on stage impacts audiences. This project also contains my conceptualization for the characters I portrayed in Metamorphoses, my rehearsal journal, and post-show reflections. In these sections, I detail the acting theory behind my characters as well as the steps we took to adapt Metamorphoses for our community.

Une monographie sur la ville antique de Sura s’imposait pour mettre l’accent sur un site-clef, peu étudié, parmi les villes fortifiées du Moyen-Euphrate. L’objectif de ce travail est d’en offrir une description et une analyse poussées et d’élargir le champ des recherches à l’ensemble de la région. À 22 km à l’ouest de Raqqa et à 29 km au nord de Resafa, à l’emplacement du village moderne d’«el-Hammam», Sura (autrefois «Souriya») domine la rive droite de l’Euphrate. Le site est une agglomération fortifiée de forme rectangulaire (76,5 ha) divisée en deux parties, enceinte nord-est et enceinte sud-ouest. Nous présentons Sura de l’époque romaine jusqu’au début de l’époque omeyyade (Ier-VIIIe s.), d’après les résultats de nos recherches qui, entre 2003 et 2011, se sont concentrées sur trois pôles : fortifications, structures domestiques et édifices civils (fouilles intra-muros), nécropole(fouilles extra-muros). Nous étudions ensuite sa culture matérielle à travers le mobilier archéologique et les éléments architecturaux issus des fouilles. Les résultats de ces recherches doivent enrichir le dossier des sites de référence de l’Antiquité tardive pour la région de l’Euphrate et de la Syrie du Nord, en offrant une base de comparaison de premier ordre pour l’architecture civile et funéraire et, surtout, pour le matériel céramique, le verre, les inscriptions. Occupant une position géographique stratégique, Sura fut florissante pendant l’époque romaine et byzantine, jusqu’à la conquête arabe de la région en 639-640, qui scella son déclin – contrairement aux autres villes de l’Euphrate –, puis elle ne fut plus occupée que par des chrétiens locaux, dans des habitats modestes. / A monograph about the ancient city of Sura was necessary in order to bring to light a site little studied so far, in spite of its key importance among the Middle Euphrates fortified towns. The present work aims at offering a thorough description and analysis of it, while broadening the scope of comparison to its larger region. Sura(previously “Suriya”) is situated 22 km west of Raqqa and 29 km north of Resafa, on the location where nowadays stands the village of “el-Hammam”, overlooking the right bank of the river Euphrates. The site, a fortified agglomeration of rectangular shape (76,5 ha), is divided into two parts, the northeast and the southwest enclosures. We present Sura from Roman times until the beginning of the Umayyad period (1st-8th cent.), through the results of our researches, which, from 2003 to 2011, have been focusing, intra-muros, on its fortifications, on its domestic and public structures, and, extra-muros, on its necropolis, then through its material culture, that is, thesmall finds and architectural elements. Such a research should contribute to enhancing the extant knowledge about Late Antiquity in the Euphrates region and North Syria, by bringing forth an additional reference site, especially for civil and funerary architecture and, above all, pottery, glass, and inscriptions. The floruit of Sura, set in a strategic location, lasted from the Roman through Byzantine times, until the Arab conquest of the region, in 639-640, threw it into oblivion – a fate not shared by other cities on the Euphrates. Afterwards, only local Christians maintained some modest settlement there.

La tesi indaga la produzione e la messa in opera delle tessere musive e dei sectilia parietali in paste vitree in epoca tardoantica e altomedievale, studiando in particolare il caso di Milano. Nella prima parte viene esaminato il processo di produzione del vetro musivo, poco noto nella documentazione edita, ma estremamente fecondo per la ricostruzione degli scambi commerciali e culturali del periodo esaminato. Con vari strumenti (etnoarcheologia, ricettari, analisi archeometriche, resti archeologici, fonti economiche, stime quantitative, documentazione di restauro) vengono rintracciati gli indicatori di riconoscibilità di un atelier che produce piastre musive colorate e a foglia d’oro, i marker di cronologia, provenienza e tecnologia ottenibili dalle analisi chimiche sul vetro musivo e l’esito materiale dei gesti eseguiti da chi mette in opera rintracciabili sui frammenti. Nella seconda parte sono affrontate le problematiche specifiche del caso milanese. In particolare viene riconsiderata l’ipotesi dell’esistenza di una bottega milanese per la realizzazione e la posa di tessellata vitrea. A fronte di una bibliografia contraddittoria sulla datazione e il contesto culturale in seno a cui sarebbero nate queste competenze, vengono valutati i resti archeologici di decorazioni musive parietali (lacerti e tessere sciolte) e vengono caratterizzati con analisi archeometriche. Viene così determinata la diffusione dell’arte, contestualizzato quanto ancora conservato e stabilito quali apporti commerciali e culturali ha comportato la realizzazione dei mosaici milanesi. I resti archeologici, le fonti letterarie, le attestazioni iconografiche, le analisi archeometriche, pur nella loro difficile lettura, permettono di riconoscere tre momenti di diffusione dell’arte musiva: l’età tardo-imperiale, l’età gota e i secoli finali dell’altomedioevo. Per ogni periodo vengono analizzati tre casi significativi: la basilica di San Lorenzo (fine IV-inizi V sec.), il battistero di San Giovanni alle Fonti (fine V-VI sec.) e la basilica di Sant’Ambrogio (V-VI e X sec.). La ricerca contribuisce a diverse problematiche aperte: la tecnologia del vetro, gli elementi di continuità e innovazione rispetto alle tecniche romane, la decorazione parietale dei monumenti milanesi, le scelte dei committenti che hanno finanziato gli edifici, l’investimento necessario, le relazioni intraprese per realizzare le opere. / The thesis studies the production and layout of wall mosaic tesserae and of glass paste sectilia in late antique and early medieval times, focusing in particular on the case of Milan. The first part examines the productive process of glass mosaics to reconstruct the commercial and cultural exchanges of the studied period. Different tools (ethnoarchaeology, technical recipes, archaeometric analyses, archaeological remains, economic sources, quantitative estimates, restoration reports) are used to track the indicators of a workshop producing coloured and gold-leaf mosaic plates, to identify the markers of mosaic glass history and technology from chemical analysis, and to detect the material results on the remains of the actions performed by the craftsmen. The second part investigates the specific issues of the case of Milan. In particular, it reconsiders the hypothesis of the existence of a Milanese workshop that manufactures and lays out glass tesserae, approached so far in a contradictory literature in term of chronology and cultural framework. The archaeological remains, literary sources, iconographic testimonies, and archaeometric analyses, despite their difficult interpretation, allow identifying three stages of diffusion of mosaic art in Milan: the late Imperial age, the age of the Goths, and the final centuries of the Early Middle Ages. Three significant cases are analyzed for each of these periods: the Basilica of San Lorenzo (late 4th-early 5th c.), the baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti (end 5th-6th c.) and the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio (5th-6th and 10th c.). This research contributes to the state of several open questions: the technology of glass, the preserved or innovative features with respect to Roman techniques, the mural decoration of Milanese buildings, the choices of the customers who have financed the buildings, the investment required, the social and commercial relations established in order to carry out the works.

Este trabajo está centrado en los logros militares del César Juliano en la Galia, la usurpación de Magnencio y las batallas más importantes del periodo, Estrasburgo y Mursa. Se ofrece un estudio del Ejército Romano de Occidente y una breve visión de los problemas defensivos contra los bárbaros. Se examina la estructura y disposición de la frontera romana en el Rin y de las razones por las que resultó ineficaz durante las Grandes Invasiones del siglo V. Se ofrece una traducción española del panegírico de Mamertino del año 362. / This work is focused in the military deeds of Julian Caesar in Gaul, the usurpation of Magnentius and the key battles of that time, Strasburg and Mursa. It offers a study of the Roman army in the West and a quick insight to the defensive problems against barbarians. A survey of the disposition and structure of the roman frontier in the Rhineland and the reasons why it failed to be successful during the Big Invasions of the Fifth Century. Also features a spanish version of the Mamertinus panegiric of 362.