Politics and Tradition Between Rome, Ravenna and Constantinople - A Study of Cassiodorus and the Variae, 527-554

A revealing study of the Variae of Cassiodorus and the insight that the epistolary collection can provide into sixth-century Italy.

List of contents

Part I. The Variae as Windows onto Painted Curtains: Introduction; 1. Cassiodorus and Italy in the fifth and sixth centuries; Part II. Cassiodorus and the Circumstances of Political Survival: 2. The age of bureaucracy; 3. The reign of Justinian; 4. Voices of discontent in Constantinople; 5. The Anicii between Rome, Ravenna and Constantinople; 6. The memory of Boethius in the Variae; Part III. Reading the Variae as Political Apologetic: 7. Literary aspects of the Variae; 8. Antiquitas and Novitas: the language of good governance in the Variae; 9. Natura and Law in Justinian's Novellae and the Variae; 10. Reading good governance in the Variae and the De anima; 11. The Variae as apologetic narrative; 12. Conclusion: innovative traditionalism and its consequence; Bibliography.

About the author

M. Shane Bjornlie is Assistant Professor of Roman and Late Antique History at Claremont McKenna College. His research interests include ethnography, late-antique letter collections, ancient political culture and the 'decline and fall' of the Roman Empire.

Summary

This study examines the historical context of Cassiodorus' Variae as a collection, rather than as an assemblage of individual case studies on sixth-century Italy. It reveals the author's motives in preparing the epistolary collection and, in doing so, sheds new light on early medieval political, ecclesiastical, fiscal and legal affairs.

Product details

• Authors: M. Shane Bjornlie, M. Shane (Claremont Mckenna College Bjornlie
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.10.2015
• EAN: 9781107529311
• ISBN: 978-1-107-52931-1
• No. of pages: 386
• Series: Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series; Cambridge Studies in Medieval; Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Social sciences, law, business > Political science