Gloire de Rhodes Au 1er Siècle de Notre ère (à Partir du «Discours Aux Rhodiens» de Dion de Pruse)

The Discourse to the Rhodians by the sophist Dion of Pruse, nicknamed Chrysostom (c. 40 - after 110 C.E.), is a historical document of the first importance. Given at the start of Vespasian's reign, it is addressed to the civic community of one of the most prestigious Greek cities in the Mediterranean basin, Rhodes. As much as Athens, Rhodes embodied Hellenism during the Hellenistic period and the beginning of the Empire. The main subject is the condemnation of the reuse of old honorary statues for the benefit of the new masters, the Romans, but several themes are also addressed: civic honors, the status of Greek cities in the Roman Empire (particularly the status of free city), the relationship of the cities to the Roman authorities, and the nature and place of imperial Hellenism. The many details and realistic observations offered by the sophist on aspects as varied as the institutional and political framework, economic life, and cults or family structures, make it possible to paint a historical picture of one of the largest Greek cities of the 1st century C.E.