Ekaitz Ruiz de Vergara Olmos, Ekaitz has written an article on Terentia, Calpurnia and Papianilla (Ep. 5.16), ‘Epistulae ad uxorem: relaciones matrimoniales en las cartas de Cicerón, Plinio el Joven y Sidonio’, in Ana Martín Minguijón, José Nicolás Saiz López and Karen María Vilacoba Ramos (eds), La familia en la Antigüedad: estudios desde la interdisciplinariedad, Ciencias de la Antigüedad, Madrid: Dykinson, 2024, 923-44.
On Academia here.
Sidonius’ correspondence is among the odd 8,000 letters contained in the new online AI-powered ‘Roman Letters’ database.
‘Roman Letters grows out of a simple observation in Patrick Wyman’s 2016 USC dissertation, Letters, Mobility, and the Fall of the Roman Empire: the late Roman world left behind an extraordinary volume of surviving correspondence. Senators, bishops, monks, and imperial officials all relied on letters to maintain relationships across vast distances, and many of those letters still exist, scattered across digital archives and critical editions.
This project collects that scattered corpus into a single, structured database and provides tools for exploring the communication networks it reveals.’
For methodology and sources, see the About this project page.
Michael Rother published an article, ‘Continuity, disruption, and transition: Water usage in late antiquity, as described by Sidonius Apollinaris and archaeology’, in Hydrological Sciences Journal 71 (2026), posted online 19 March 2026.
ABSTRACT
The fifth century in Western Europe was turbulent, marked by warfare and large migrations of people. While the experiences of each group varied, responses can be divided into three categories: continuity, disruption and transition. This period is somewhat neglected in the history of hydrology because of the lack of technological developments. However, this paper examines adaptations to the loss of engineering knowledge and employs evidence from the writer Sidonius Apollinaris, combined with that from archaeological discoveries. Although much of value vanished, recycling and privatization were the most interesting adjustments observed in water usage. Aqueducts slowly faded into disuse due to the lack of engineers, while bathing gradually shifted away from the ancient Roman public tradition. Cisterns and wells became more common due to necessity and defensibility. Recycling and reuse of materials involved transformation of villas and water facilities into agricultural settlements, churches, and artisanal spaces.
Deborah Deliyannis published the article ‘Gregory of Tours, Solomon’s Temple, and the Seven Wonders: Splendor and Ephemerality’ in VigChr 79 (2025) 535-553.
It involves Sidonius and his invention (as far as we can see) of the Temple of Solomon as the Seventh Wonder of the World in Carm. 31.13-14 (in Ep. 4.18.5) on pp. 546-553.
Joop van Waarden has written a review of David Ungvary, Converting Verse: The Poetics of Asceticism in Late Roman Gaul (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity), Oxford: Oxford University Press 2024 just published in Vigiliae Christianae.
Advance publication on Brill’s website
Étienne Wolff, ‘Quelques jeux sur les sons et les mots passés inaperçus: Mart. II 65; Sidon. epist. I 8; Anth. Lat. 190 R.’, Sileno 51 (2025) 195-208.
See summary
Now available: Gavin Kelly and Aaron Pelttari (eds), The Cambridge History of Later Latin Literature, 2 vols, Cambridge: CUP, 2026.
Contents:
1. Histories of later Latin literature Gavin Kelly and Aaron Pelttari
I. Later Latin Literature in its Social and Linguistic Contexts:
2. The book in the later Roman world Justin Stover
3. Teaching and learning W. Martin Bloomer
4. Latin prose rhythm Gavin Kelly
5. Latin metre Franca Ela Consolino
6. Greek and Latin in the Roman world Bruno Rochette
7. Geographical space and Roman world image Sigrid Mratschek
8. Patronage David Ungvary
II. From the Age of Trajan to the Age of Constantine:
9. Literary culture in the second century James Uden
10. Latin sophists and rhetors Neil Bernstein
11. Latin poetry of the high empire Bruce Gibson
12. The beginnings of Christian latin literature Éric Rebillard
13. Literary culture in the new empire of Diocletian and Constantine Catherine Ware
III. The Empire after Constantine:
14. Literature and government in the post-Constantinian empire John Weisweiler
15. Literature and the church in the post-Constantinian empire Mark Vessey
16. Augustine Catherine Conybeare
17. Looking back from late antiquity: perspectives on the Roman past in the fourth and fifth centuries Christopher Kelly
18. Poetry in the fourth century Roger Green
19. Claudian and his influence Isabella Gualandri
IV. Models and Trends:
20. The survival and reception of earlier Latin literature in the later empire Gavin Kelly
21. Vergil in late antiquity Scott McGill
22. Scripture in Latin Aaron Pelttari
23. Secular and Christian commentaries Ilaria Ramelli
24. Paratexts Aaron Pelttari
25. The autobiographical turn Catherine Conybeare
26. Invective Richard Flower
27. Late antique literary aesthetics Isabella Gualandri
V. Generic Change and Continuity:
28. Generic innovation and diversity Ilaria Ramelli
29. Rhetoric in theory and practice Diederik Burgersdijk
30. Panegyric Roger Rees
31. Sermons Hildegund Müller
32. Historical writing Peter Van Nuffelen
33. Chronicles Richard Burgess
34. Biography Christa Gray
35. Epistolography Jennifer Ebbeler
36. Fiction Lucy Grig and Aaron Pelttari
37. Legal writing, its forms, and influence Matthijs Wibier
38. Philosophical writing, its forms, and influence Gerard O’Daly
39. Technical and encyclopaedic literature Thorsten Fögen
40. Epic Roger Green
41. Epigram Nigel Kay
42. The hymn Jean-Louis Charlet
VI. From the Last Years of the Western Empire to the Seventh Century:
43. Latin literature in early Byzantium Brian Croke
44. Post-Roman Spain Carmen Codoñer
45. Vandal and Byzantine North Africa Gregory Hays
46. Ostrogothic and Byzantine Italy Ian Fielding
47. Post-Roman gaul Danuta Shanzer
48. The post-Roman British Isles Michael Lapidge
49. Literature and Romanitas in the post-Roman West Danuta Shanzer
Epilogue: the critical opportunity of later Latin literature in the twentieth century Mark Vessey
Sidonius Apollinaris: Selected Letters now has its own page in the ‘Publications’ section of the Propylaeum portal ‘Sidonius Apollinaris’, which carries on the sidonapol.org initiative.
This page, among other things, features an overview of the letters selected for the book and a useful ‘Updates and corrections‘ paragraph, like the other publications comprised in the ‘Publications’ section: Writing to Survive, New Approaches and the Companion.
Alison John’s Learning and Power in Late Antique Gaul is published. It is available for purchase here.
Joop van Waarden’s ‘Green & Yellow’ Sidonius Apollinaris: Selected Letters is published. There is a 20% discount on this title expiring 31 March, code JOOP2026. For more information, and to order visit the Cambridge catalogue, entering the code at checkout.
Download the table of contents
