Book contents
- Rome: An Empire of Many Nations
- Reviews
- Rome: An Empire of Many Nations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Ethnicity and Identity in the Roman Empire
- Part II Culture and Identity in the Roman Empire
- 5 Roman Reception of the Trojan War
- 6 Claiming Roman Origins
- 7 Roman Theologies in the Roman Cities of Italy and the Provinces
- 8 The Involvement of Provincial Cities in the Administration of School Teaching
- 9 Many Nations, One Night?
- Part III Ethnicity and Identity in the Roman Empire
- Part IV Iudaea/Palaestina
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Index Locorum
9 - Many Nations, One Night?
Historical Aspects of the Night in the Roman Empire
from Part II - Culture and Identity in the Roman Empire
- Rome: An Empire of Many Nations
- Reviews
- Rome: An Empire of Many Nations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Ethnicity and Identity in the Roman Empire
- Part II Culture and Identity in the Roman Empire
- 5 Roman Reception of the Trojan War
- 6 Claiming Roman Origins
- 7 Roman Theologies in the Roman Cities of Italy and the Provinces
- 8 The Involvement of Provincial Cities in the Administration of School Teaching
- 9 Many Nations, One Night?
- Part III Ethnicity and Identity in the Roman Empire
- Part IV Iudaea/Palaestina
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Index Locorum
Summary
Certain universal and more or less perennial aspects of human perceptions of the night influence the representation of nightlife in ancient texts. But beyond the stereotypes, we may recognize tensions between conservative perceptions and a continually changing reality. In the Roman empire, we may observe certain recurring elements of a ‘nocturnal koine’, the result of general trends. The factors that shaped nightlife in the Roman empire include the diffusion of voluntary associations and their convivial activities, the donations of benefactors for nighttime activities (baths, gymnasia, public banquets), the prominent place of nocturnal rites in cults with a soteriological or initiatory aspect, and efforts to increase the safety in cities during the night. These factors should be considered within a broader context—that of the gradual and continuous colonization of the night with the activities of the day.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Rome: An Empire of Many NationsNew Perspectives on Ethnic Diversity and Cultural Identity, pp. 146 - 166Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021