"Idem aliter", czyli o dwóch opisach dyplomatycznej podróży do Persji w poezji późnego antyku (Claud. Cons. Stil.. I 51–68; Sid. Carm. II 75–88)

Two Latin poets of late antiquity, Claudian and Sidonius Apollinaris, included in their verse panegyrics short descriptions of diplomatic journey to Persia. The first mentioned the mission of Stilicho himself in “Panegyric on the consulate of Stilicho” (400 AD), whereas the latter described the mission of Procopius, father of the honorand in the “Panegyric on the consulate of Anthemius” (468 AD). Since Sidonius was in many ways imitator of Claudian, these pieces show a great deal of similarity both in content and form (especially in wording). However, closer scrutiny enables us to discover some differences in the treatment of Oriental topics as well as in general attitude to the praised heroes. Such an analysis allows us an insight into the image of Iranian world created in the Roman poetry as well as the question of sources used by late Latin poets. This paper can be also treated as a small contribution to the discussion on Sidonius’ imitation of Claudian poetry.

Sulle perdute Declamationes di San Remigio: Sidon. ep. 9.7

Sidonius Apollinaris addresses to Remigius, bishop of Reims, only the Letter 9.7. This paper proposes an exegetical reading of this Letter, which contains an important literary judgment on Remigius’ lost Declamationes. Sidonius’ letter provides the only evidence of this rhetorical text by Remigius.

Leafing through Pliny with Sidonius

The programmatic opening letter 1.1 of Sidonius Apollinaris’ correspondence is clearly inspired by the opening letter of Pliny the Younger’s correspondence. This article, however, argues that it can only be fully understood when read against a combination of Pliny’s letters 1.1, 1.2, and 1.5. Plin. Ep. 1.2 raises the issue of editing and publishing speeches, which Sidonius explicitly applies to bringing out a letter collection, as well as the eminently important discussion of a literary canon in which Cicero plays a crucial role for both authors. In Sidonius’ opening letter, Cicero’s appearance is cloaked in a strangely farcical guise which, however, becomes transparent once read against the foil of Plin. Ep. 1.5. Cicero then appears as a symbol of non-conformist behaviour which is at the basis of Sidonius’ editorial project.

Sidonius Apollinaris and the ‘Senate in Exile’: On a 'Republican' Poetic Metaphor

The Gallo-Roman imperial accession of Avitus, following the Vandal plunder, is presented by Sidonius Apollinaris (Carm. 7) as an effective opportunity for the revival of the Western empire in a utopian and mythical-historical perspective, which uses repertoires of Roman Republican History. An neglected tradition of that same history is thus revived, incidentally, with precedents ranging from the Gallic siege to civil wars and beyond. In this context, some senatorial ateliers where communications functional to the idea of a senate “free from the emperor” were experimented, could have made use of a certain “republican” modality of the use of prodigies in the most unscrupulous way, with recourse to even very complex propaganda paradigms.

The Loss of the Roman West and the Christian Future

The Roman decline that Symmachus prophesized arrived in the West as the fifth century began. The first half of the fifth century saw Rome sacked in 410 and the empire then lose extensive territories in Gaul, Spain, and North Africa between the 410s and 440s. Christian thinkers like Orosius, Salvian, and Augustine struggled to respond effectively to pagan criticisms that Rome’s break with its pagan traditions had precipitated this loss of territory. Augustine’s City of God in particular asked Christians to privilege the community of God over the troubled empire of this world, an empire that nevertheless could still serve a beneficial purpose to Christians. Writing after the capture of Gaul by barbarians, both Sidonius Apollinaris and Paulinus of Pella embraced a post-Roman future in which Christian devotion remained meaningful even after their ties to the Roman state had ended. The Christian and Roman futures had now diverged in the West.

Enjeux mémoriels d’un récit de voyage de Lyon à Rome Sidoine Apollinaire (Lettre 1, 5)

In Letter I, 5, Sidonius Apollinaris gives to posterity the memory of his prestigious journey from Lyon to Rome. This study explores how the author gives an account in which memory (§ 1 memoratu) takes a central place, how he reworks the travel narrative, plays with a rich literary memory (Horace, Vergil, Lucan, Pliny the Younger…) and builds self-memory. The re-evaluated memory of Silius Italicus, Prudentius and Claudian’s VI Panegyricus of Honorius is crucial in arguing that Sidonius renews the places of memory and excludes pagan elements. He also gives a testimony of his Christian faith and a discreet criticism of General Ricimer.