The tale of the significant facts of the Empire’s life. Interpretations and literary representations of the election and departure of the Augusti from Constantine to Julian

Abstract

Panegyrists, bishops, and secular intellectuals recounted the salient events of the Empire and emphasized some events in the biography of the Emperors. These interpreted and adapt the facts, and so favored the sovereign for which they write. These storytellers become arbiters of facts and judges of the Augusti. The panegyrists oftentimes eulogized them, otherwise, the Bishops exercised episcopal munera and discharged them or condemned them, while the pagan intellectuals are critics and longed for a return to tradition. These can also redesign the imagery of Roman power.