The Apollinaris and sociocultural strategies of Gallo-Roman aristocratic family in the 4th – 5th centuries

Author(s):  E.M. Manukyan, Ivanovo State University, Ivanovo, Russia, Ivanovo State University

Issue:  Volume 45, № 3

Rubric:  Topical issues of political science

Annotation:  The present article analyzes by the example of the Apollinaris family the issue of special sociocultural strategies, to which members of Gallo-Roman aristocracy followed. In particular, the author lays emphasis on the family tradition of cursus honorum as a key aspect according to which an aristocrat organizes the concrete vectors of his action. These vectors are considered as continuation of the ancestors’ achievements. Among these socio-cultural strategies, the article highlights: a high level of education, a course towards achievement in the political career, suburban leisure and refined way of life, the creation of aristocratic network of social ties, and a commitment to the Christian religion. Examples of ancestors, their achievements and family traditions were the one of composite elements in a complex architecture of Gallo-Roman aristocrat’s self-consciousness. The author concludes that following to this logic in a way was a prerequisite for the integration of Gallo-Roman aristocracy into the cadre of the Christian Church.

Keywords:  Late Antiquity, Gallo-Roman aristocracy, Apollinaris family, Sidonius Apollinaris, family tradition, cursus honorum, sociocultural strategies, integration of the aristocracy into the cadre of the Church

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