Power couples in antiquity : transversal perspectives /
Everyone can name a couple made up of famous, rich or powerful partners, who cultivate a joint media image which is stronger than either of their individual identities. Since the eighties they have been known as "power couples." Yet while the term is recent, the concept is not. More than 2...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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London ; New York :
Routledge,
2019.
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| Series: | Routledge monographs in classical studies.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Everyone can name a couple made up of famous, rich or powerful partners, who cultivate a joint media image which is stronger than either of their individual identities. Since the eighties they have been known as "power couples." Yet while the term is recent, the concept is not. More than 2000 years ago, Greeks and Romans became aware of the media potential of couples and used it as an instrument to reinforce political power. Notable examples are Philip II of Macedonia and Olympias, Cleopatra and Mark Antony or the Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia. Power Couples in Antiquity brings together the reflections of ten specialists on Greek and Roman power couples from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD. It is focused on the birth and the development of the "ruling couple" in the Hellenistic Greek kingdoms and in Rome between the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire. By taking some emblematic cases, this book analyzes the redistribution of public and private roles within these couples, examines the sentimental bonds or the relations of domination established between partners, explores how these relationships played out in private and highlights the many common points between ancient and contemporary power couples. This book offers a fascinating insight into power dynamics in the ancient world, exploring not only the subtleties within these often complex relationships, but also their relationships with their subjects through the cultivation and manipulation of their joint public image. |
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| Physical Description: | xii, 214 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781138575264 1138575267 |