Ball W. Rome in the East. The Transformation of an Empire

London – New York: Routledge, 2000. – 544 p.
ISBN: 0-415-11376-8 (Print Edition)
ISBN: 0-203-02322-6 Master e-book ISBN:
ISBN: 0-203-14202-0 (Glassbook Format)In this lavishly illustrated and arresting study, Warwick Ball presents the story of Romeʼs overwhelming fascination with the East through a coverage of the historical, architectural and archaeological evidence unparalleled in both breadth and detail.
This was a fascination of the new world for the old, and of the mundane for the exotic – a love affair that took literal form in the story of Antony and Cleopatra. From Romeʼs legendary foundation by Aeneas and the Trojan heroes as the New Troy, through the installation of Arabs as Roman emperors, to the eventual foundation of the new Rome by a latter-day Aeneas at Constantinople, the East took over Rome, – and Rome eventually ditched Europe to the barbarians.
Rome in the East overturns the received wisdom about Rome as the bastion of European culture. Newly available in paperback, and illustrated with almost 300 photographs, plans and drawings, its accessible and comprehensive approach makes it an ideal resource for both the academic and general reader.List of plates
List of figures and family treesBackground
Constraints and considerations
ObjectivesHistorical background
To the Euphrates
Beyond the Euphrates
The long retreatThe Princely States: Near Eastern kingdoms under Roman protection
Rome and the Arabs
Emesa and the Sun Kings
Judaea, Herod the Great and the Jewish Revolt
Arabia and the Nabataeans
Palmyra and Queen Zenobia
Edessa and the coming of Christendom
The Tanukh and Queen Mawiyya
The Ghassan and the coming of IslamRome east of the frontiers
Military campaigns
Roman prisoners of war
Roman trade
‘Romano-Buddhist’ artThe towns and cities
Antioch, the imperial city
The Macedonian heartland of the north
The Euphrates and Mesopotamia
The Phoenician Coast
The Decapolis
‘Roman’ Arabia: Bosra and ShahbaThe countryside
The Dead Cities
Other areas
The Hauran
ConclusionsImperial veneer: architecture and the resurgence of the East
The urban layout
Buildings for pleasure
Military architecture
Pagan architecture
Early Christian architecture
Funerary architecture
Fabric and stylesThe transformation of an empire
The Arabs and the West
India and the West
Julia Domna and the Arabs who ruled Rome
Philip the Arab
Lepcis Magna: Roman city in Africa and the orientalisation of Europe
From Paganism to Christianity
East and WestNotes