Employing a case study approach, this thesis provides a systematic analysis of the existence and importance of female patrons within the domus Aniciorum, as a means of accessing women's history in late antiquity. The domus Aniciorum was one of the pre-eminent senatorial aristocratic families of the later Roman empire. The Anicians' social and political involvement encompassed not only civil affairs but also the nascent church through their benefaction of and involvement with churches, saints' cults and the most prominent ecclesiastical figures of the day. Using the vehicle of the aristocracy, the evidence spans approximately 250 years, from 350 CE to 600 CE and encompasses different geographical regions including Rome, North Africa and Constantinople. Therefore, the diversity and depth of the evidence surrounding the Anician women provides an almost unprecedented opportunity in the area of women's history in late antiquity. The evidence includes prosopographic, epigraphic and textual material which attests to a documentable multigenerational Anician patronage dynasty. As such the examination of female patronage and the inter-dependant roles of identification within the context of an elite family provides access to women's history in the pan- Mediterranean context of the late Roman empire.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:500591 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Kurdock, Anne Nancy |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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