Cahiers du Centre Gustave Glotz

Nouvelle série

Les mots et les images : discours croisés des gouvernants et des gouvernés

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Abstract

The government of the empire was expressed through exchanges between the holders of power and their representatives on the one hand, and the provincial communities (provincial assemblies, cities, individuals) on the other. The position of the prince, the holder of legitimate power, is expressed through an act of government. The statement of authority was quickly formalized in the form of the imperial titulary, which for each prince resembles a schematic history of the reign, built around the most important events. But in inscriptions, as in papyrological documentation, the text can be enriched with references to imperial action. By posting them in the public space of cities, including on roads, they were disseminated throughout the provinces. Governors played an essential role in this respect, acting as intermediaries between rulers and ruled through official correspondence and embassies, and transposing the essential virtues of princes through their own activities. Coins also illustrate the legitimacy of power, and the characteristics of its actions. The result is a corpus of legends and images, notions that have their own development. Most often simple and brief, they add original echoes or complements to all that connects the various parts of the imperial community by word or writing.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 15 Dicembre 2022 | Accettato: 30 Marzo 2023 | Pubblicato 05 Dicembre 2025 | Lingua: fr

Keywords </p>Roman provincesCoinsGovernors<p>GovernorsImperiumPrince