Consular Dating Formulas on Late Roman Papyri as an Evidence for the Progressive Decline of Late Roman Aristocratic Ranks (c. 445-540)
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| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | During the Late Roman Empire, the members of aristocratic classes became even more status-conscious than before. This consciousness and strife for achieving more and more prestigious positions progressively caused the degradation of Late Roman and Early Byzantine honorary titles and ranks, which bore less importance thus conferring lower social status onto their bearers. This paper presents a conclusion to year-long research under which more than 300 papyrological documents were examined. Examination of consular dating formulas on these papyri – or more specifically the honorific epithets found in those dating formulas, dated to the period of 445–540, presents a piece of evidence connecting the progressive degradation of Late Roman honorary ranks to the decline of aristocratic classes themselves while also being yet another cause for their gradual transformation. |
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