Rome in Constantinople: the Hippodrome in John Lydus' De mensibus.

The article discusses a passage of the sixth-century AD antiquarian writer John Lydus dealing with chariot-racing and the hippodrome: De mensibus, I, 12, p. 3, 17-7, 15 Wunsch. Through an analysis of the text, the article tries to shed some light on aspects of Lydus' antiquarian practice, both highlighting the continuity with the methods of classical antiquarianism and focusing, in particular, on the problem of the involvement of antiquarianism in contemporary sixth-century cultural issues. Besides identifying possible influences from sixth-century ideas and social dynamics on some details of Lydus' antiquarian account, the article investigates how Lydus' text addresses a common ideological concern of sixth-century intellectuals and antiquarian writers, i.e. anchoring in the past and legitimising the transference of power from Rome to Constantinople.