Late antique ceremony and the image of the imperial family from Constantine I to Anastasius I, 306-518 CE

New studies posit that, rather than being a hereditary monarch and authoritarian ruler, emperors were effectively selected by the consensus of the state (represented most prominently by the army, the people and the Senate). Comparatively little, however, has been done to include the imperial family in this conversation – if the emperor was not a typical monarch, then how do we explain the imperial family?

This thesis investigates the role of the imperial family (including the men, women and children of the dynasty) in the politics of the Roman empire in the fourth and fifth centuries using ceremonies where the imperial interacted with the public sphere as the primary evidence for answering this question. It considers the political, religious, civic and military roles the imperial family unit occupied during these events which took place over the lifecycle of an imperial dynasty. <br><br><i>Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2031.</i>