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Abstract
This paper focuses on the importance of religious embeddedness in conceiving and constructing positions of power in imperial Roman history, and on the importance of relevant anchors in a society dominated by tradition. Through two case studies, it illustrates how the concept of anchoring can help us understand how changing memories and points of view influenced the connotations people had with a specific concepts or individuals. The first case analyses the title pontifex maximus, its appropriation by the emperors and some developments of form and meaning under the Roman bishops. The second case focuses on the different ways in which the emperor Constantine was linked to ‘his’ city of Constantinople, particularly as founder of the city. The close symbolic link between emperor and city forms a parallel to the importance of the city of Rome for the cult of Peter. The two case studies together aim to suggest a framework for ways in which Peter was memorialized in Rome.
Abstract
This paper focuses on the importance of religious embeddedness in conceiving and constructing positions of power in imperial Roman history, and on the importance of relevant anchors in a society dominated by tradition. Through two case studies, it illustrates how the concept of anchoring can help us understand how changing memories and points of view influenced the connotations people had with a specific concepts or individuals. The first case analyses the title pontifex maximus, its appropriation by the emperors and some developments of form and meaning under the Roman bishops. The second case focuses on the different ways in which the emperor Constantine was linked to ‘his’ city of Constantinople, particularly as founder of the city. The close symbolic link between emperor and city forms a parallel to the importance of the city of Rome for the cult of Peter. The two case studies together aim to suggest a framework for ways in which Peter was memorialized in Rome.