Towards Roman Edessa: 114–242 C.E.Syriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/Z3MQEP5Z/tei
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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.Steven KirkRossTowards Roman Edessa: 114–242 C.E.http://syriaca.org/cbss/Z3MQEP5Zhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/Z3MQEP5Zhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/Z3MQEP5Z1997The ancient city of Edessa (modern-day Urfa, Turkey) is studied from the point of view of politics, society and culture during a period of increasing Roman involvement in the East, beginning with Trajan's Parthian War (114–116 C.E.). Well-watered and located on an important trade route, Edessa (founded ca. 304 B.C.E.) saw major urban development in the Seleucid period, but came under Parthian influence at the end of the second century. Its rulers – the Abgarid dynasty with Arab/Nabataean connections – pursued a semi-independent policy until Edessa came permanently within the Roman orbit under Septimius Severus (194 C.E.). The dissertation clarifies the process of absorption into the empire using epigraphic, numismatic and historical material, some recently discovered. Analyzing newly published documents and the coins of Edessa's last king, Abgar X (239–242 C.E.), it concludes that this king took his throne in service to Rome during the confrontation with Sassanid Persia, holding an official 'consulship,' perhaps signifying a regional governorship. A major section takes up the cultural life and antecedents of Edessa, which in the later period became a center of Christian activity and an important link in the transmission of Classical literature via Syriac and Arabic. Focusing on Edessene religion, on Bardaisan, the 'first Syriac philosopher,' and on artistic influences as reflected in funerary mosaics, it concludes that the period beginning with Abgar VIII was a Golden Age of prosperity and cultural production. Greek, Semitic and Persian cultural influences contributed to a unique culture that could be called neither 'eastern' nor 'western' in its primary orientation. Although the earliest preserved Syriac literature contains concepts derived from Greek philosophy, evidence for the first two centuries of the Common Era is scarce, and no firm conclusions can be drawn about the extent of Hellenization at Edessa before the arrival of Christianity. The famous myth of an exchange of letters between a King Abgar and Jesus is shown to have no basis in fact, and not to reflect – as has been widely thought – the conversion of a later king to Christianity.
Ross, Steven Kirk. “Towards Roman Edessa: 114–242 C.E.” Ph.D. dissertation, The University of California, Berkeley, 1997.
Steven Kirk Ross, Towards Roman Edessa: 114–242 C.E. (Ph.D. dissertation, The University of California, Berkeley, 1997).AbgarBardesanEdessaHellenismII CEIII CERoman Syria