Una capitale intermittente: la vicenda di Antiochia di Siria nel IV secolo d.C.

Abstract

Thanks to the mass of information that can be extrapolated from Libanius of Antioch, it is possible to select the two facies of the city on the Oronte in Late Antiquity, i.e. Antioch as administrative capital (of the province of Syria; of the Diocese of the East), and Antioch as imperial capital (although not in the strict sense: but the city played the role of ‘episodic capital’). This contribution aims at focusing on Antioch as ‘imperial capital intermittently’, highlighting: the implications both at economic- logis- tical (supply related to the presence of the court) and urban-monumental level (new buildings already starting from Diocletian) as well as the relationship with the other cities (the rivalry with Constantinople).