Western Empire in 5th Century

Timo Stickler and Umberto Roberto edited a new volume on the history of the Western Roman Empire from 395-476: Das Weströmische Reich und seine Erforschung. Neue Perspektiven, Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 2023.

Contents here. Contributors include Rene Pfeilschifter (the continuity of the local), Hendrik Wagner (Alaric’s Itinerarium), Frank Schleicher (patria and imperium sine fine), Henning Börm (shadow emperors), Mischa Meier (the later Attila), Timo Stickler (Attila magister militum), Laura Mecella (eastern officials), Jeroen Wijnendaele (delegation), Udo Hartmann (Damaskios), Hansjoachim Andres (Olympiodorus of Thebes), Tabea Meurer (otium), Roland Steinacher (North Africa), Philippe Blaudeau (christological controversy of 448-55), Carla Sfameni (paganism after Theodosius), Ignazio Tantillo (worshipping columns), Lucrezia Spera (the emperors and Rome).

Giannotti on a mundus senescens

Now available: Filomena Giannotti, ‘News from a mundus senescens: Romans, Visigoths and Saxons in a Letter by Sidonius Apollinaris (8.6)’, in: José Luís Brandão, Cláudia Teixeira and Ália Rodrigues (eds), Confronting Identities in the Roman Empire: Assumptions about the Other in Literary Evidence, London: Bloomsbury, 2023, 213-36.

Can be read online in open access. Hardback forthcoming 14 December 2023.

Goncalves on Honour and the Body

Vincent Goncalves has published ‘Les cheveux de Sidoine Apollinaire. Identifier le “corps de l’honneur” dans l’Antiquité tardive (ive-vie siècles après J.-C.)’ in: Christophe Badel and Henri Fernoux (eds), Honneur et dignité dans le monde antique, Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2023, 259-76. Pays particular attention to hairstyle and Ep. 2.1.4 seu patriam dimittere seu capillos.

Read in OpenEdition. And here goes to the publisher’s catalogue

New Portrait of Sidonius Discovered

A new portrait of Sidonius has come to light. Quite unexpectedly, on the eve of the Feast of St Nicholas of Myra, 5 December, a delicately crafted portrait bust of the Clermontese Saint made its appearence. Its pained expression probably points to the second, tormented phase of the bishop’s life, as Writing to Survive was the only coping strategy left to him. Further research is needed to assess the date and provenance of this fragile, papier-mâché artifact. This find considerably extends the range of visual testimonies to Sidonius’ reception, hitherto practically limited to the artworks preserved in the Prefecture in Lyon.

Full disclosure:
On the eve of the Feast of St Nicholas of Myra, 5 December, Dutch families traditionally gather to celebrate the ‘Goedheiligman’ by anonymously exchanging presents provided with teasing poems, while singing songs, eating seasonal cookies and drinking ‘bisschopswijn’. One present for each family member has to be special. It’s called a ‘surprise’, hiding a simple gift in an elaborate (if ephemeral) casing that represents a characteristic of the person concerned.

My artistically gifted granddaughter Elin (it appeared) was behind the portrait bust of Sidonius. I can’t resist showing it to everybody else who has a weak spot for poor old Sollius. Coming to think of it, it is a piece of popular reception of the Saint, and in no way inferior to those other portraits, the high-brow ones in the Provincial Prefecture in Lyon.

Joop van Waarden, 5 December 2023.

Sidonius Apollinaris 2023 by Elin van Waarden (Instagram @elinvanwaarden)

Sidonius Talking to Ambrose and Bust of Sidonius in Lyon

For other portrayals of Sidonius, see the Gallery page.

Two Conferences: Paulinus, Visuality

Two immediately upcoming conferences, involving both scholars and subject matter also related to Sidonius, include:

– Messina, 4-5 December: ALES PICTA LOQUELLIS – Nuove prospettive sulla poesia di Paolino di Nola. Programme here. Link to live stream upon request.

– Ghent, 7-8 December: OVERWHELMED: Spectacles and Visuality in Early and Late Imperial Latin Poetry. Programme here. Link to live stream upon request.

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.