Central monism and suburban pluralism: Plutarch and Dio of Prusa between needs of the principatus and claims coming from local communities

The article deals with the problem of the political relations between Rome and the outskirts of the Empire in the Political Thought of Plutarch and Dio Chrysostom from the perspective of the dichotomy Monism-Pluralism. The essay, principally focusing on some of the Political Moralia by Plutarch and the Third Discourse on Kingship by Dio, highlights how these authors conceived the precarious balance between a monist centre needing a unitary politics and a plurality of local communities with their peculiar traditions, customs and internal institutions.