Selected Letters of Libanius from the Age of Constantius and Julian

Description

Translated with an introduction and notes by Scott Bradbury. Libanius of Antioch (AD 314-393) stands out as a fundamental source for the history of the Greek East in the fourth century AD. Drawn from the 1269 letters written between 355 and 365, the 183 letters presented here play an important role in making the age of Constantius II and Julian the Apostate the best-documented period of the ancient world. The 183 letters of Libanius in the present volume were composed in the single decade AD 355–65, one of the most richly documented periods in ancient history. They can be added to the 193 letters in A. F. Norman's two volumes in the Loeb Classical Library, "Autobiography" and "Selected Letters", published in 1992, bringing the tally of Libanius' letters currently available in English to 376, just shy of 25 per cent of the total of 1544 letters. The current volume and the Loeb volumes do not overlap in letter selection and thus support and supplement one another. Acknowledgements vi Abbreviations vii Glossary viii A Note on Documentation xi General Introduction 1 The Life of Libanius 2 Late Roman Government in the Greek East 12 Preservation and Survival of Libanius' Letters 19 SELECTED LETTERS I. For Family Members (B1–22) 27 II. To Emperors and Court Officials (B23–51) 51 III. To Prefects, Proconsuls and 'Vicarii' (B52–85) 83 IV. To Provincial Governors (B86–143) 125 V. To Men of Letters and 'Curiales' (B144–183) 181 Appendix 1: Libanius' Principal Correspondents (355–65) 225 Appendix 2: Index of Libanius' Letters Translated into English 272 Bibliography 276 Index 282 Map: Principal Destinations of Libanius' Letters AD 354–365 290