The Construction o fAuthority in Ancient Rome and Byzantium
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loginInThe Construction of Authority in Ancient Rome and Byzantium,SaroltaTa k ́acs examines the role of the Roman emperor, who was the singlemost important law-giving authority in Roman society. Emperorshad to embody the qualities or virtues espoused by Rome’s rulingclasses. Political rhetoric shaped the ancients’ reality and played a partin the upkeep of their political structures. Tak ́acsisolatesareoccur-ring cultural pattern, a conscious appropriation of symbols and signs(verbal and visual) belonging to the Roman Empire. She suggests thatcontemporary concepts of “empire” may have Roman precedents,which are reactivations or reuses of well-established ancient pat-terns. Showing the dialectical interactivity between the constructedpast and present, Tak ́acs also focuses on the issue of classical legacythrough these virtues, which are not simply repeated or adapted cul-tural patterns but are tools for the legitimization of political power,authority, and even domination of one nation over another.
