Description
Imperial Panegyric from Diocletian
to Honorius examines one of the most important
literatures of the late Roman period – speeches of praise addressed to the reigning
emperor – and the panegyrical culture of the late Roman world more generally. Unlike
much previous work on this topic, Imperial Panegyric takes a consciously comparative
approach, especially between eastern and western, Greek and Latin texts.
Each contributor
draws upon evidence taken from multiple authors or from different kinds of panegyric
in order to explore both the communal and the particular in this most idiosyncratic
of media. The volume investigates to what extent there
was a unified concept of imperial panegyric, and how local circumstances shaped
individual speeches. It also considers the ways in which traditional forms of praise-giving
respond to fourth-century phenomena such as the expansion of Christianity, collegial
rulership, and the decline of Rome as the political centre of the empire. Its
contributors include a roster of some of the most important names in the field
of panegyric studies, both established researchers and the rising stars of the
new generation.
‘The questions of how late-antique panegyric was interpreted, and should be interpreted, remain at the heart of our understanding of late-antique political culture.’
Richard Flower, Acta Classica
'Across [Imperial Panegyric from Diocletian to Honorius], there is a consistently high standard, and the different analyses enrich and extend the range of approaches from the definition of panegyric as a genre to the weight given in some panegyrics to women, to Christianity and to barbarians'Marzia Fiorentini, The Classical Review
The volume... offers a good starting point for further research into late antique panegyric... It not only shows which works need to be studied in more detail and which questions are still open, but also which possibilities exist to solve these problems.Raphael Brendel, Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft
Translated from German,
'Der Band... er einen guten Ansatzpunkt für die weitere Erforschung der spätantiken Panegyrik... Er zeigt nicht nur auf, welche Werke ausführlichererund welche Fragen noch offen sind, sondern auch, welche Möglichkeiten bestehen, um diese um diese Probleme.'
'This is a very worthwhile study to read. It both instructs readers with some general outlines and encourages them to consider several
interesting key details of panegyric of Late Antiquity.'
Felix Maier, Bryn Mawr
Classical Review
'The anthology offers something for many, whether one wants to pursue specific individual topics or also want to gain an overall impression
of late antique panegyric, beyond the much-examined collection of the Panegyrici Latini.'
Ulrich Lambrecht, Plekos