The Last Dance of the Salians: the Pagan Élite of Rome and Christian Emperors in the Fourth Century AD

Here I would like to show some important features of this complex and important change. First, I will focus my attention on the fourth century senatorial élite of Rome, whose members held the traditional priesthoods of Rome, trying to better understand what was their real attitude in regards to this process. Secondly, I will consider an inscription regarding the Salian priesthood of Rome, which will be our case study and which will give us a rather interesting point of view on the behaviour of the pagan élite of Rome towards the gradual Christianization of their city. In this regard, with the help of several and different sources, above all the laws contained in the Theodosian Code, I will propose a new dating of that inscription, which will give us a more grounded key of interpretation. Finally, I will go back to examine more in depth and thus to better understand the different stages and the various features of the attitude of the pagan senatorial élite of Rome in regard to the crucial religious change of the fourth century AD.