The Province of Achaea in the 2nd Century CE

The Province of Achaea in the 2nd Century CE explores the conception and utilization of the Greek past in the Roman province of Achaea in the 2nd century CE, and the reception of the artistic, cultural, and intellectual outputs of this century in later periods.

Achaea, often defined by international scholars as "old Greece", was the only Roman province located entirely within the confines of the Modern Greek state. In many ways, Achaea in the 2nd century CE witnessed a second Golden Age, one based on collective historical nostalgia under Roman imperial protection and innovation. The papers in this volume are holistic in scope, with special emphasis on Roman imperial relations with the people of Achaea and their conceptualizations of their past. Material culture, monumental and domestic spaces, and artistic representations are discussed, as well as the literary output of individuals like Plutarch, Herodes Atticus, Aelius Aristides, and others. The debate over Roman influence in various Hellenic cities and the significance of collective historical nostalgia also feature in this volume, as does the utilization of Achaea’s past in the Roman present within the wider empire. As this century has produced the highest percentage of archaeological and literary material from the Roman period in the province under consideration, the time is ripe to position it more firmly in the academic discourse of studies of the Roman Empire.

The Province of Achaea in the 2nd Century CE will appeal to scholars, students, and other individuals who are interested in the history, archaeology, art, and literature of the Graeco-Roman world and its reception.

"...this volume is a well-designed and thought-provoking endeavor which sparks new insights and perspectives on the historical study of the multi-faceted and multi-leveled topic of the diachronic retrospective view on the past." - Gnomon

Anna Kouremenos is Macricostas Endowed Teaching Fellow in Hellenic and Modern Greek Studies at Western Connecticut State University, USA, and Lecturer in Ancient History at Quinnipiac University, USA. She has published widely on the history and archaeology of Roman Greece, insularity and identity in the ancient Mediterranean, and the reception of antiquity. Her current research interests lie primarily in Hellenism in the 2nd century CE – with an emphasis on the Hadrianic period – and the reception of Roman Hellenism in later periods.

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