Montone on Sidonius’ Health Lexicon

Francesco Montone writes on Sidonius’ health lexicon in ‘Alcuni specimina del lessico della salute nell’epistolario sidoniano, e intratestualità’, Vichiana 60 (2023) 71-86.

Find a specimen in Academia.

Abstract: Some Specimina of the Health Lexicon in Sidonius’ Correspondence, and Intratextuality. The paper deals with the health lexicon in Sidonius Apollinaris’ Letters; Sidonius’ illnesses and those of his relatives and friends are analyzed in order to show possible hypotexts of the literary tradition; words such as morbus, medicus, medicina, medicor are present several times in the correspondence, sometimes in the proper sense, sometimes in a figurative sense; Sidonius creates interesting intratextual mechanisms, following a principle of stylistic uarietas. Finally, the two antithetical descriptions of the healthy body of the Visigothic king Theodoric and the sickly one of the parasite Gnathon are compared.

Bąk on Aristocratic Upbringing

Out recently: Aneta Bąk, ‘Cele wychowania rzymskiego arystokraty w V wieku n.e. w świetle listów Sydoniusza Apollinarisa’ [Objectives of the education of a Roman aristocrat in the fifth century in the light of the letters of Sidonius Apollinaris], Res Gestae 15 (2022) 23-35.

Read from Res Gestae (Kraków) in open access.

Abstract: During the fifth century Gaul was struggling with barbarian tribes, which threatened the Roman order. Sidonius Apollinaris, as a representative of local aristocracy and bishop, believed that there was a possibility to protect at least part of Roman traditions from their disappearance. He saw the chance for keeping them in bringing up the next generations. In his letters there are many examples of what a model Roman aristocrat should look like. This article analyzes fragments from Sidonius’ letters, which are connected with the goals of upbringing: being inspired by right people, education, caring for beautiful and correct Latin language, caring for family name and creating social bonds. On their basis, a catalog of values, which were a hope for continuity of Roman life in restless times, was created.

Stadermann on the Catholic Episcopate

Christian Stadermann contributed a chapter, called ‘Between Rome and Toulouse: The Catholic Episcopate in the regnum Tolosanum (418–507)’, to the edited volume Leadership, Social Cohesion, and Identity in Late Antique Spain and Gaul (500-700) (eds Dolores Castro and Fernando Ruchesi; Amsterdam: AUP, 2023).

Go to the book in the catalogue of Amsterdam University Press.
Go to the chapter in ScienceOpen or ResearchGate.

Keywords: Visigoths, Kingdom of Toulouse, Gallo-Roman senatorial aristocracy, Sidonius Apollinaris, late antique Gaul, Catholic episcopate.

Abstract: The Visigothic kings of the fifth and early sixth centuries adopted a tough stance towards the Catholic episcopate in Gaul. While this has been attributed to the missionary zeal of the ‘Arians’, more recent studies suggest their aim was to strengthen political cohesion: The measures imposed were meant to break resistance of powerful authorities within and to reduce influence of those beyond the borders of the Visigothic kingdom. It is assumed that the Roman Empire used the Catholic Church to exert influence on Visigothic Gaul, turning the Catholic faith into a central element of Roman identity; yet many aspects of this argument have never received an in-depth discussion. This chapter examines the relations between the Catholic episcopate in Gaul, Rome, and the Visigothic court at Toulouse.

Montone Reviews Hindermann

Francesco Montone reviews Judith Hindermann’s commentary of Book 2 of the Correspondence (Sidonius Apollinaris’ Letters, book 2: text, translation and commentary. Edinburgh studies in later Latin literature. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022) in BMCR 2023.11.28.

‘Il lavoro realizzato dalla studiosa è di certo apprezzabile […] per la chiarezza espositiva e per l’acribia dimostrata nella stesura dell’ampio commento.’

‘La traduzione proposta è precisa, molto aderente al testo ed attenta a cogliere le arguzie della dictio sidoniana. ‘

‘In definitiva il pregevole volume sarà di grande utilità per i cultori di cultura antica.’

Cabau on the Epitaph, 21 Nov.

Patrice Cabau is to speak ‘À propos de deux manuscrits des Œuvres de Sidoine Apollinaire’.

Organisation: Société archéologique du Midi de la France
Date, time: 21 November, 17:00 h.
Venue: Hôtel d’Assézat, Toulouse

Les fragments d’une épitaphe retrouvée à Clermont-Ferrand vers 1960 et considérée jusqu’à 2017 comme étant celle de Sidoine Apollinaire († vers 486) sont à l’origine d’une enquête conduite avec Jean-Luc Boudartchouk. Celle-ci a porté sur deux manuscrits médiévaux par lesquels on connaissait le texte complet de cette inscription, lequel fut imprimé à la fin du seizième siècle et a été depuis maintes fois reproduit (il ne sera pas ici question d’un autre manuscrit, réapparu depuis 2008, qui donne de l’épitaphe une version alternative). L’investigation mènera de Cluny à Madrid, en passant par Toulouse et Avignon.

Candidianus, Sidonius and Cesena, 22 Nov.

Next Wednesday, in the lecture series ‘Undici Giornate particolari nella Storia di Cesena‘, held at Cesena and organized by Franco Spazzoli, it is Sidonius’ turn with his letter 1.8 to Candidianus, the first inhabitant of Cesena known to us.

Venue: Aula Magna of the Biblioteca Malatestiana. Time: 17:00 h.

Here is to its announcement.

Mercoledì 22 novembre: Tarda estate 467 d.C. – Candidiano, Sidonio e la Cesena tardoromana. Sarà analizzata la misteriosa figura di Candidiano, primo cesenate della storia, raffigurato nei medaglioni del salone d’onore di palazzo Albornoz, sede attuale del Comune, alto dignitario della corte imperiale di Ravenna e consigliere di Galla Placidia. A lui scrisse una lettera scherzosa un altro importante personaggio, Sidonio Apollinare, vescovo di Alvernia e Santo, in cui è una rappresentazione singolare di Ravenna come “città all’incontrario”.

All About the Terminology of Christian Buildings

Gaëlle Herbert de la Portbarré-Viard has put out a detailed study of the terminology of Christian buildings: Naissance du discours sur les édifices chrétiens dans la littérature latine occidentale: d’Ambroise de Milan à Grégoire de Tours, Turnhout: Brepols, 2023.

Here goes to the publisher’s catalogue

As to Sidonius, the book discusses: Les descriptions d’édifices religieux dans l’œuvre de Sidoine Apollinaire | Les vers consacrés à la description de l’église de Lyon, à la demande de l’évêque Patiens et leur présentation par Sidoine, Lettre 2, 10, 2-4 | Nouvelle évocation de l’œuvre édificatrice de Patiens de Lyon, Lettre 6, 12, 3-4 | Évocation de la reconstruction (ou agrandissement) de la basilique Saint-Martin de Tours et les vers que Sidoine a composés à ce sujet à la demande de l’évêque Perpetuus, Lettre 4, 18, 4 | Autres passages de Sidoine Apollinaire évoquant avec un certain degré de précision des édifices religieux.
Its second part is a full glossary of the vocabulary of the description of Christian buildings.

Presentation Santelia and Marolla 30 Oct.

Invitation to the presentation of Stefania Santelia’s and Giulia Marolla’s recent commentaries
Venue: University of Bari Aldo Moro, Palazzo Ateneo, Aula Magna
Date, time: 30 October 2023, 15:30 h.

Download poster here

Arturo De Vivo (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II – Scuola Superiore Meridionale) will present the volume:
— Sidonio Apollinare: Carmina Minora. Testo, traduzione e note a cura di Stefania Santelia. Saggio introduttivo di Silvia Condorelli

Gavin Kelly (University of Edinburgh) presents the volume:
— Sidonius: Letters Book 5, Part 1. Text, Translation and Commentary by Giulia Marolla

Further explanation by the authors. Chair: Rosa Alba Dimundo.