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Fragile Hierarchies deals with the world of the urban elites of third century Roman Egypt. It discusses economic, social and demographic aspects of the position of the elites of the small towns that dotted the Nile. The work combines analysis of Greek papyri with modelling techniques used in ancient history. The first part of the book analyses patterns of urbanisation, property relations and their consequences for elite formation. The second part discusses demographic aspects, patterns of inheritance and their consequences for continuity and discontinuity. The central argument of the book is that a strong social and economic hierarchy occurred side by side with a dynamic pattern of elite renewal.
Price: $189.00
Pages: 354
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Series: Mnemosyne, Supplements
Publication Date:
13 December 2005
ISBN: 9789004148314
Format: Hardcover
'...clearly written, well argued and persuasive. It shows a detailed mastery of a very considerable body of ancient evidence from Roman Egypt. But that knowledge is combined with and lightened by an imaginative use of analytical models.'
Keith Hopkins (†), Emeritus Prof. of Ancient History, Kings College, University of Cambridge.
'Laurens Tacoma does two things for his readers that are most unusual. First, he takes his readers into his mind, there to see what doubts he had, what deficiencies of evidence he had to confront, how he handled them and with what degree of confidence in his results. All this is instructive both as to method and product. Second, having a remarkably active curiosity, like an AK47, he directs on his chosen subject a barrage of penetrating questions which not only open it up to understanding but provide readers with the means of understanding other, similar population groups in the ancient world or elsewhere. The whole study is of great value.'
Ramsey MacMullen, Emeritus Professor in Ancient History, Yale University.
Keith Hopkins (†), Emeritus Prof. of Ancient History, Kings College, University of Cambridge.
'Laurens Tacoma does two things for his readers that are most unusual. First, he takes his readers into his mind, there to see what doubts he had, what deficiencies of evidence he had to confront, how he handled them and with what degree of confidence in his results. All this is instructive both as to method and product. Second, having a remarkably active curiosity, like an AK47, he directs on his chosen subject a barrage of penetrating questions which not only open it up to understanding but provide readers with the means of understanding other, similar population groups in the ancient world or elsewhere. The whole study is of great value.'
Ramsey MacMullen, Emeritus Professor in Ancient History, Yale University.
Laurens E. Tacoma (1967), Ph.D. in History, Leiden University (2003), is Lecturer in Ancient History at the Dept. of History of Leiden University, The Netherlands.