This multidisciplinary thesis is primarily an attempt to investigate the manner and methods of mass communication in the Flavian period of the Roman Empire, assessing ancient evidence and modern scholarship from the perspective of scholarly communications, public relations, and media studies. Part One of this thesis seeks to evaluate the different material methods of mass communication: numismatics; literature; epigraphy; art and architecture. The three vital research questions at the heart of this thesis are as follows:
- What were the methods and character of mass communication in the Flavian period?
- What did the Flavians communicate and with whom?
- To what extent was communication between the Flavians and their citizens a two-way process and was this communication effective?
Part Two of this thesis presents case studies surrounding some specific messages that were created with a view to commenting on the (in)efficacy of Flavian communication. It will examine a range of evidence across three selected themes, one per chapter. The themes are Flavian communication as a proponent of the public information model of public relations; the communicative power of the triumph and the converse futility of resistance; and looking at the end of the dynasty as an example of regime change.