Barbarians and politics at the Court of Arcadius / Alan Cameron, Jacqueline Long ; with a contribution by Lee Sherry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cameron, Alan, 1938-2017.

Contributor:

Long, Jacqueline.

Sherry, Lee.

Series:

Transformation of the Classical Heritage Series

Transformation of the classical heritage ; 19

The Transformation of the classical heritage Barbarians and politics at the Court of Arcadius

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Synesius, of Cyrene, Bishop of Ptolemais. De providentia.

Synesius.

Arcadius, Emperor of the East, 377?-408.

Arcadius.

Goths--Historiography.

Goths.

Authors, Greek--Biography.

Authors, Greek.

Goths in literature.

Allegory.

Byzantine Empire--History--Arcadius, 395-408--Historiography.

Byzantine Empire.

Byzantine Empire--Politics and government--To 527.

Byzantine Empire--In literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 441 p. )

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c1993.

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2018.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The chaotic events of A.D. 395-400 marked a momentous turning point for the Roman Empire and its relationship to the barbarian peoples under and beyond its command. In this masterly study, Alan Cameron and Jacqueline Long propose a complete rewriting of received wisdom concerning the social and political history of these years. Our knowledge of the period comes to us in part through Synesius of Cyrene, who recorded his view of events in his De regno and De providentia. By redating these works, Cameron and Long offer a vital new interpretation of the interactions of pagans and Christians, Goths and Romans. In 394/95, during the last four months of his life, the emperor Theodosius I ruled as sole Augustus over a united Roman Empire that had been divided between at least two emperors for most of the preceding one hundred years. Not only did the death of Theodosius set off a struggle between Roman officeholders of the two empires, but it also set off renewed efforts by the barbarian Goths to seize both territory and office. Theodosius had encouraged high-ranking Goths to enter Roman military service; thus well placed, their efforts would lead to Alaric's sack of Rome in 410. Though the authors' interest is in the particularities of events, Barbarians and Politics at the Court Of Arcadius conveys a wonderful sense of the general time and place. Cameron and Long's rebuttal of modern scholarship, which pervades the narrative, enhances the reader's engagement with the complexities of interpretation. The result is a sophisticated recounting of a period of crucial change in the Roman Empire's relationship to the non-Roman world. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist

dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1993.

Contents:

Cover

Series Editors

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface

Chronological Table

1. Introduction

2. Synesius of Cyrene

I. Family

II. Conversion?

III. Baptism

IV. Orthodoxy

V. Hypatia

VI. The Dion

3. Synesius in Constantinople

I. The Panhellenion

II. Paeonius

III. The Date of the Embassy

4. De Regno

I. Summary

II. The Date of the Speech

III. The Antibarbarian Tirade

IV. Aurelian and the Barbarians

V. Publication

VI. Synesius's Audience

5. De Providentia and the Ministers of Arcadius

I. Introduction

II. Summary

III. Collegiate Prefectures

IV. Aurelian's Consulate

V. Typhos

VI. The Restoration of Osiris

VII. The Fall of Typhos

6. De Providentia and the Barbarians

I. The Massacre

II. Gaïnas and Tribigild

III. Aurelian's Return

IV. Fravitta

7. Literary Sources of De Providentia

II. Egyptian Sources

III. Dio Chrysostom

IV. Panegyric and Invective

V. Neoplatonic Themes

VI. Oracles and Apocalypse

8. Barbarians and Politics

I. Greeks and Romans

II. Political Exploitation of the Myth

III. Caesarius and the Exculpation of Gaïnas

IV. Anti-Germanism in Action

V. Conclusions

9. Translation of De Providentia

Appendix I: Aurelian and Pulcheria

Appendix II: Chrysostom's Movements in 400-402

Appendix III: Synesius's Visit to Athens

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [414]-432) and index.

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-585-13966-0

0-520-37719-2

Publisher Number:

2027/heb08399 hdl