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Palladas and the Age of Constantine*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2010

Kevin W. Wilkinson
Kevin W. Wilkinson
Affiliation:
Yale University, [email protected]
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Extract

This article begins with a review of the traditional dates for Palladas (c. A.D. 360–450) and the current consensus of most scholars (c. A.D. 319–400). The first of these relies almost exclusively on the dubious manuscript lemmata and the second on an interpretation of Palladas' epigrams pertaining to the rise of Christianity and the weakening of the pagan cults, which are supposed to be Theodosian in date. Both timelines are difficult to reconcile with two external clues, which together suggest that his floruit must have been earlier than the second half of the fourth century. Further analysis reveals that the important pagan-Christian epigrams are full of Constantine's political and religious propaganda post-324. Another line of inquiry establishes a new set of dates: c. A.D. 259–340.

Keywords

PalladasConstantineEusebiusGreek AnthologypaganismChristianity
Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 99 , November 2009 , pp. 36 - 60
Copyright
Copyright © Kevin W. Wilkinson 2009. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

* I am grateful to the editor of this journal, the anonymous readers, and many colleagues and friends for their comments. Luis Arturo Guichard, whose promised edition of Palladas' epigrams is eagerly anticipated, kindly provided a critical eye and some bibliography in the final stages. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Tim Barnes, who read these arguments in two formats and made many valuable suggestions for improvement. Throughout, I quote the most recent complete edition of the Greek Anthology (Beckby), except in one instance that is recorded in the notes. All translations are my own unless otherwise indicated. I employ the following abbreviations when referring to editions of the Anthology or to comments contained therein:

Aubreton = R. Aubreton (ed.), Anthologie Grecque, vol. 10 (1972)

Beckby = H. Beckby (ed.), Anthologia Graeca, 4 vols (1965–1968)

Dübner = F. Dübner (ed.), Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum, vols 1–2 (1864–1872)

Jacobs = F. Jacobs (ed.), Anthologia Graeca ad fidem codicis olim Palatini nunc Parisini ex apographo Gothano edita, 3 vols (1813–1817)

Paton = W. R. Paton (ed.), The Greek Anthology, 5 vols (1916–1918)

Preisendanz = K. Preisendanz (ed.), Anthologia Palatina: Codex Palatinus et Codex Parisinus phototypice editi, 2 vols (1911)

Reiske = J. Reiske (ed.), Anthologiae Graecae a Constantino Cephala conditae libri tres, duo nunc primum, tertius post Iensium iterum editi, cum latina interpretatione, commentariis et notitia poetarum (1754)

Stadtmüller = H. Stadtmüller (ed.), Anthologia Graeca epigrammatum Palatina cum Planudea, 3 vols (1894–1906)