Description
Book SynopsisFor the first time, the poems and accompanying letters of Publilius Optatianus Porfyrius (Optatian) are published here with a translation and detailed commentary, along with a full introduction to Optatian's work during this period.Optatian was sent into exile by Constantine sometime after the Emperor's ascent to power in Rome in 312 AD. Hoping to receive pardon, Optatian sent a gift of probably twenty design poems to Constantine around the time of the ruler's twentieth anniversary (325/326 AD).
To enable the reader to experience the multiple messages of the poems, the Latin text is presented near the English translation with any related design close by. Some poems, laid out on a grid of up to 35 letters across and down, have an interwoven poem marking key letters in the primary poem, thereby revealing a highlighted image. Some designs include the Chi-Rho or numerals created from V's and X's to mark imperial anniversaries. Other (previously unrecognised) designs seem
Trade Review
An invaluable resource for understanding the fascinating, complex literary and political culture of the later Roman Empire. -- Erin Sebo, Associate Professor of Medieval Literature and Language, Flinders University, Australia
Table of Contents
List of Figures Preface Acknowledgments Note on Text, Translation and Abbreviations Introduction 1. Letters between Constantine and Optatian [Porfyrius] 2. The Poems of Optatian to Constantine 3. The Poems of Optatian to Other Recipients Notes Bibliography Index
