The Last Pagans of RomeRufinus' vivid account of the battle between the Eastern Emperor Theodosius and the Western usurper Eugenius by the River Frigidus in 394 represents it as the final confrontation between paganism and Christianity. It is indeed widely believed that a largely pagan aristocracy remained a powerful and active force well into the fifth century, sponsoring pagan literary circles, patronage of the classics, and propaganda for the old cults in art and literature. The main focus of much modern scholarship on the end of paganism in the West has been on its supposed stubborn resistance to Christianity. The dismantling of this romantic myth is one of the main goals of Alan Cameron's book. Actually, the book argues, Western paganism petered out much earlier and more rapidly than hitherto assumed. The subject of this book is not the conversion of the last pagans but rather the duration, nature, and consequences of their survival. By re-examining the abundant textual evidence, both Christian (Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, Paulinus, Prudentius) and "pagan" (Claudian, Macrobius, and Ammianus Marcellinus), as well as the visual evidence (ivory diptychs, illuminated manuscripts, silverware), Cameron shows that most of the activities and artifacts previously identified as hallmarks of a pagan revival were in fact just as important to the life of cultivated Christians. Far from being a subversive activity designed to rally pagans, the acceptance of classical literature, learning, and art by most elite Christians may actually have helped the last reluctant pagans to finally abandon the old cults and adopt Christianity. The culmination of decades of research, The Last Pagans of Rome overturns many long-held assumptions about pagan and Christian culture in the late antique West. |
Contents
3 | |
14 | |
33 | |
CHAPTER 3 The Frigidus | 93 |
CHAPTER 4 Priests and Initiates | 132 |
CHAPTER 5 Pagan Converts | 173 |
CHAPTER 6 Pagan Writers | 206 |
CHAPTER 7 Macrobius and the Pagan Culture of His Age | 231 |
CHAPTER 13 Correctors and Critics II | 457 |
CHAPTER 14 The Livian Revival | 498 |
CHAPTER 15 Greek Texts and Latin Translation | 527 |
Vergil and His Commentators | 567 |
CHAPTER 17 The Annales of Nicomachus Flavianus I | 627 |
CHAPTER 18 The Annales of Nicomachus Flavianus II | 659 |
CHAPTER 19 Classical Revivals and Pagan Art | 691 |
CHAPTER 20 The Historia Augusta | 743 |
CHAPTER 8 The Poem against the Pagans | 273 |
CHAPTER 9 Other Christian Verse Invectives | 320 |
CHAPTER 10 The Real Circle of Symmachus | 353 |
CHAPTER 11 The Pagan Literary Revival | 399 |
CHAPTER 12 Correctors and Critics I | 421 |
CONCLUSION | 783 |
The Poem against the Pagans | 802 |
809 | |
855 | |
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Common terms and phrases
According Alföldi allusions altar altar of Victory Ambrose Ambrose’s Ammianus aristocrats Augustine Augustine’s Ausonius Cameron century Chastagnol Christian Cicero cited claim classical Claudian commentary Constantine consul contemporary context copy corrected cults culture Damasus death dedication diptych Donatus doubt earlier early edition emperor Eugenius Eugenius’s Eunapius Eutropius evidence example exemplar explain fact Flavian fourth-century Frigidus Gellius Gratian Greek identified imperial interlocutors Jerome Juvenal late antique later Latin letters literary Livy Macrobius Macrobius’s manuscripts Maximus Memmius mention Nicomachus obvious pagan Paschoud passage Paulinus PLRE poem poet pontifex Praetextatus praetorian praetorian prefect prefect prefecture priesthoods Probus Protadius Prudentius quotations quoted reference ritual Roman Rome Rufinus Rufinus’s sacrifice Saturnalia scholars senate Servius Servius’s Sidonius simply subscriptions suggests surely surviving Symmachus Symmachus’s temples Theodosius Theodosius’s tion traditional translation Valentinian Valentinian II Varro Vergil victory Volusianus word writing wrote Zonaras Zosimus