This excellent book represents a successful attempt to integrate historically and visually what is known about Constantine, the first Christian emperor, a chameleon and a transformative personality. This book offers a radical reassessment of Constantine as an emperor, a pagan, and a Christian. The book examines in detail a wide variety of evidence, including literature, secular and religious architectural monuments, coins, sculpture, and other works of art.

Setting the emperor in the context of the kings and emperors who preceded him, Jonathan Bardill shows how Constantine's propagandists exploited the traditional themes and imagery of rulership to portray him as having been elected by the supreme solar God to save his people and inaugurate a brilliant golden age.
The author argues that the cultivation of this image made it possible for Constantine to reconcile the long-standing tradition of imperial divinity with his monotheistic faith by assimilating himself to Christ.


Contents
Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Chronology
Map of the Roman Empire under the Tetrarchs and Constantine
The Families of the Tetrarchs and Constantine
Introduction
1 A Change of Image
2 Emperors and Divine Protectors
3 The Saving Ruler and the Logos-Nomos
4 The Hippodrome Procession
5 The Symbol from the Sun, the Standard, and the Sarcophagus
6 The Roman Colossus
7 Constantine and Christianity
8 Sol and Christianity
9 Constantine as Christ
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index

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