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Although Constantine the Great played a major role in the formation of christianity, scholars often bring into sole focus the religious developments of his time and therefore exclude the broader and more heterogeneous spectrum of historical developments. Thus, it is a little known fact that Constantine’s first born son Crispus and the first christian emperor’s first wife lost their lifes under mysterious circumstances. The professional world brought forward manifold explanations and among them is the article’s point of origin located. Battistella surveys the different theories postulated within the scientific community and points to individual inconsistencies and states some problems. He articulates precisely the tendentious quality of the historical sources and accentuates their philological complexity on the one hand. On the other hand, he points to the scholarly procedure’s possible effects on the public’s historical thinking (“Geschichtsbewusstsein”).

The article by Florian Battistella: „Faschismus und Altertum. Die Antike als Vermittler der romanità im ventennio.“ addresses the reception which topics of ancient history underwent during the period of Italian fascism. After an exhaustive definition and delimitation of the term 'fascism' during the time of Mussolini the separate mechanisms of reception and their individual impacts are discussed, while mechanisms of pre-fascist origin are included in the analysis as well. The myth of Rome offered numerous links and possibilities for identification processes of state and nation, which henceforth supported the ideological-motivated and totalitarian claims of the Regime. Such concepts again helped to realize the totalitarian claims in the 20th century. Parts of the ancient history scholarship actively contributed to these cultural forms of expression in fascist Italy and furthermore helped to fabricate a constructed tradition, which in turn made it possible to consolidate such ideas among the populace. The full picture of this aspect includes a complex and diverse receptive structure which includes symbolical, figurative and architectural elements.