Arnold Hugh Martin Jones
Encyclopedia
Arnold Hugh Martin Jones (9 March 1904 – 9 April 1970) — known as A.H.M. Jones — was a prominent 20th century British historian of classical antiquity
, particularly of the later Roman Empire
.
, beginning with the reign of the Roman tetrarch
Diocletian
and ending with that of the Byzantine emperor Maurice
. One of the most common modern criticisms of this work is its almost total reliance on literary and epigraphic primary sources, a methodology which mirrored Jones's own historiographical training. Archaeological study of the period was in its infancy when Jones wrote, which limited the amount of material culture
he could include in his research.
He published his first book, The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces, in 1937. In 1946, he was appointed to the chair of the Ancient History department at University College, London. In 1951, he moved to Cambridge University and assumed the same post there. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1947.
Jones was reportedly an extremely fast reader with an encyclopedic memory. His disdain for "small talk" sometimes made him seem remote and cold to those who did not know him well, but he was warmly regarded by his students. He was sometimes criticized for not fully acknowledging the work of earlier scholars in his own footnotes, a habit he was aware of and apologized for in the preface to his first book.
Jones died of a heart attack
in 1970 while traveling via boat to Thessaloniki
to give a series of lectures.
, a period which did not exist as a separate field of study during his lifetime. Late Antique scholars frequently refer to him, however, and his enormous contributions to the study of the period are widely acknowledged.
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
, particularly of the later Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Biography
Jones's best-known work, The Later Roman Empire, 284–602 (1964), is considered the definitive narrative history of late Rome and early ByzantiumByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, beginning with the reign of the Roman tetrarch
Tetrarchy
The term Tetrarchy describes any system of government where power is divided among four individuals, but usually refers to the tetrarchy instituted by Roman Emperor Diocletian in 293, marking the end of the Crisis of the Third Century and the recovery of the Roman Empire...
Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
and ending with that of the Byzantine emperor Maurice
Maurice (emperor)
Maurice was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602.A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassanid Persians...
. One of the most common modern criticisms of this work is its almost total reliance on literary and epigraphic primary sources, a methodology which mirrored Jones's own historiographical training. Archaeological study of the period was in its infancy when Jones wrote, which limited the amount of material culture
Material culture
In the social sciences, material culture is a term that refers to the relationship between artifacts and social relations. Studying a culture's relationship to materiality is a lens through which social and cultural attitudes can be discussed...
he could include in his research.
He published his first book, The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces, in 1937. In 1946, he was appointed to the chair of the Ancient History department at University College, London. In 1951, he moved to Cambridge University and assumed the same post there. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1947.
Jones was reportedly an extremely fast reader with an encyclopedic memory. His disdain for "small talk" sometimes made him seem remote and cold to those who did not know him well, but he was warmly regarded by his students. He was sometimes criticized for not fully acknowledging the work of earlier scholars in his own footnotes, a habit he was aware of and apologized for in the preface to his first book.
Jones died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1970 while traveling via boat to Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
to give a series of lectures.
Legacy
Since Jones's death, popular awareness of his work has often been overshadowed by the work of scholars of Late AntiquityLate Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
, a period which did not exist as a separate field of study during his lifetime. Late Antique scholars frequently refer to him, however, and his enormous contributions to the study of the period are widely acknowledged.
Works
- The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces (1937)
- The Herods of Judaea (1938)
- The Greek City from Alexander to Justinian (1940)
- Ancient Economic History (1948)
- Constantine and the Conversion of Europe (1948)
- Athenian Democracy (1957)
- Studies in Roman Government and Law (1960)
- The Later Roman Empire, 284–602: A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey (1964)
- Sparta (1967)
- The Decline of the Ancient World (1968)
- Augustus (1970)
- The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, with John Robert Martindale and John MorrisJohn Morris (historian)John Robert Morris was an English historian who specialised in the study of the institutions of the Roman Empire and the history of Sub-Roman Britain...
(1971)
Further reading
- Meiggs, RussellRussell MeiggsRussell Meiggs was a British ancient historian, perhaps best known for his extensive work on the Roman port city of Ostia....
. "Obituary: Arnold Hugh Martin Jones." Journal of Roman Studies, Volume 60 (1970), pp. 186–187. - A.H.M. Jones and the Later Roman Empire. Edited by David M. Gwynn. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2008 (ISBN 978-90-04-16383-6, hardback).
- British Academy Fellowship entry