ABSTRACT

The most substantial biography ever written on the most important Roman emperor, Professor Charles M. Odahl has written a fascinating account of the life and reign of the first Christian emperor of the Roman world.

Drawing on over a quarter of a century of research on sources relevant to the period and retracing the journeys made by Constantine across Europe and around the Mediterranean basin, this up-to-date biography provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of literary sources and research into the archaeology of the Constantinian era, and enables a more rounded and accurate portrait than has previously been available.

Illustrated with ninety-two photographs and eight maps, Constantine and the Christian Empire is the standard work on the man and his life for scholars, students, and all those interested in Roman imperial, early Christian, and Byzantine imperial history.

chapter 1|11 pages

THE SUBJECT AND THE ANCIENT SOURCES

chapter 3|29 pages

The First Tetrarchy and the Caesar’s Son

chapter 6|37 pages

RELIGIOUS CONCERNS AND APOSTOLIC ROME

chapter 7|35 pages

The Eastern Crusade and the Nicene Council

chapter 12|5 pages

THE LEGACY AND MODERN INTERPRETATIONS