Rulers, Nomads, and Christians in Roman North Africa / Edition 1

by Brent D. Shaw

Overview

The studies collected in this volume cover three broad areas of the history of North Africa as part of the Roman Empire. Studies devoted to the history of 'political institutions' are followed by ones that detail aspects of interactions between nomad and sedentarist communities in the African provinces. The book concludes with two studies on African christianity. In all of these, special attention is given to the indigenous institutions, economies and beliefs that informed the confrontation between 'African' and 'Roman'. The studies in general argue for a strongly 'interactionist' approach to historians' reconstruction of the history of the period and the region - a perspective that would emphasise the continuous conflict between the two world of African and Roman.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780860784906
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/20/1995
Series:	Variorum Collected Studies
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.88(w) x 8.81(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Contents: Rural markets in North Africa and the political economy of the Roman Empire; The undecemprimi in Roman Africa; The structure of local society in the early Maghrib: the elders; The Elder Pliny’s African geography; The formation of Africa Proconsularis; ’Eaters of flesh, drinkers of milk’: the ancient Mediterranean ideology of the pastoral nomad; Fear and loathing: the nomad menace and Roman Africa; Autonomy and tribute: mountain and plain in Mauretania Tingitana; Soldiers and society: the army in Numidia; The elders of Christian Africa; African Christianity: disputes, definitions and ’Donatists’; Critical Bibliographical Addenda; Index.

Editorial Reviews

’Throughout his career, Shaw has been a breaker of accepted icons...Variorum Press is to be commended for producing a set of volumes that makes a significant portion of the author’s splendid work available in one place.’ Canadian Journal of History...This collection...is a model of careful scholarship in both environmental and social history. Canadian Journal of History, Joint review with Environment and Society in Roman North Africa

From the Publisher

Describes and analyzes how the various peoples and regions of North Africa between the Atlantic coast of Morocco and the hinterland of Tripolitania became part of the Roman Empire, pivoting on the themes of economic and political geography, nomads, and African Christians. The 11 essays, first published 1973-92, consider North African rural markets and the political economy of the Roman Empire, the ancient Mediterranean ideology of the pastoral nomad, and the elders of Christian Africa, and other topics. They supplement those in Shaw's Environment and Society in Roman North Africa from the same series. Distributed in the US by Ashgate. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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