The Performance of Diplomacy: Verbal and Non-verbal Communication at the Imperial Court of the Late Roman Empire
By Audrey Becker
The sources which describe the protocol in operation for the reception of foreign envoys at the court in Constantinople, whether they are Corripus or Peter the Patrician, reused by Constantine Porphyrogenitus, give the impression of a very codified ceremonial which may seem frozen or even ossified. However, as the writings of Priscus of Pannonia, Malchus of Philadelphia or Menander Rhetor, amongst others, show, emperors did not hesitate to play
Performance and Petitions: A Game of Justice in Roman Egypt
By Martin Reznick
Villagers in Late Roman Egypt left us the histories of their misfortunes on hundreds of papyrus petitions. They wrote in order to motivate the local magistrates to deliver them from injustice. Magistrates apparently needed the extra motivation: Benjamin Kelly writes that although officials did their best, obstruction abounded and cases caromed around within the justice system. Kelly can't escape the depressing conclusion that the system was so badly engineered that litigants often just gave up. (78) I argue that this is no bug of the system; this is a feature.
Sharing Letters, Sharing Friendship: Public Readings in Synesius
By Mathilde Cambron-Goulet
Letters are generally perceived as personal communications, thus sharing a letter is typically understood as a very inclusive gesture towards the third reader, if not a violation of the author’s intimacy (Rosenmeyer 2001:1-2). Though, it seems that under certain circumstances, sharing letters and even performing public readings of letters is suitable, or at least was considered suitable, as we may see in Synesius’ letters.
Actors and Theaters, Rabbis and Synagogues: The Use of Public Performances in Shaping Communal Behavior in Late Antique Palestine
By Zeev Weiss
Judging by the large number of buildings known to date in many cities throughout late antique Palestine, theatrical performances were quite popular in drawing audiences of thousands. The vibrancy of these shows was not alien to the Jews, who frequented them on a regular basis, as did their non-Jewish neighbors. The rabbis, like the church fathers, objected to public performances on moral and religious grounds, and looked askance upon this cultural behavior.
Why Are We Told Which Language Was Spoken? Performative Strategies and Languages in Christian Narratives of Late Antiquity
By Yuliya Minets
Choice of language is one of the most important aspects of oral performance that is closely related to the issues of social differentiation, power and control in the society. Language was an instrument that created the special relationship between the speaker, the audience, and the message in the multilingual culture of Late Antiquity. The goal of this study is to investigate the meaning and purpose of the remarks that a particular language was used by characters of the early Christian narratives, and the correspondence of these remarks to the context of the performance.