Chapter 3 describes the senatorial aristocracy of Rome and divisions within its ranks. Even after the seat of western government left the city for safer territory, its aristocrats retained their pride of place. When Constantine founded Constantinople as his capital in the East, an entire senatorial aristocracy was created for it, although its members could not claim the ancient lineage and traditions of their Roman counterparts. The chapter details senatorial wealth, including that of Melania and Pinian. It explores the diverse meanings of “family” in ancient Rome and relevant inheritance law. It traces the family trees of Melania and Pinian and their extensive real estate—mansions, villas, and agricultural properties, spread across eight Roman provinces. It analyzes the fraught question of whether an excavated palace on Rome’s Caelian Hill was Melania and Pinian’s, and its probable fate.
The Making of the Ancient Greek Economy. Institutions, Markets, and Growth in the City-states. By Cresson Alain and translated by Rendall Steven. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016. Pp. xxvi, 620. $45.00, cloth.