The demos in Herodian

Abstract

In Herodian’s historical view the demos appears to play an important political role in critical stages of the Roman empire. The political success of an emperor depends on the popular approval in Rome or in the provincial cities, besides the support of the soldiers. The essay aims to evaluate the relationship between demos and armies, between demos and senate from Commodus to Maximinus, and to analyze the differences in this chronological period. The use of the words demos and ochlos, in Herodian’ s historical work, has different values: it reveals that the historian cannot be defined philo-popular, but shows throughout interest in the popular partecipation in civil struggles.