This note identifies the source of a brief quotation in Cassiodorus, Institutiones 1.28.3 as a passage of Lactantius, Diuinae Institutiones 3.28.22. It argues that Cassiodorus possibly intended to draw an implicit comparison between himself and Lactantius.

This paper discusses the reading Castellus in Cassiod. Var. 11.22 and concludes that the reading Catellus is to be preferred.

SummaryTheoderic’s diplomacy with distant peoples has often been considered as a kind of ‘Realpolitik’ chiefly aimed at military or strategical purposes, but the symbolic importance of two embassies from the Warni and Hesti should be taken into consideration more carefully. The king aimed to convince his subjects and neighbours that he was the rightful heir of the Roman emperors by following a subtle policy of imitatio Imperii. He also used diplomacy to achieve this goal and took advantage of two embassies (...) from remote peoples of Northern Europe in order to imitate both Augustus and contemporary emperors, who prided themselves upon receiving envoys from far-away lands. (shrink)

Cassiodorus, Jordanes, Ennodius and Marcellinus Comes offer quite different accounts of the battle between Ostrogoths and imperial troops which took place at Horreum Margi in 505. A careful study of these sources indicates that Theoderic and Anastasius were uneasy when mentioning the respective allies and that they both tried to hide the other’s involvement in the conflict. Ennodius’ mention of discordia is very important to understand both the causes and the consequences of Horreum Margi. In fact, Anastasius attacked an ally (...) of Theoderic in order to show that the king was not willing to come to the rescue of his foederati. The Ostrogothic quick reaction led to an unforeseen conflict and opened a period of tense relations between Ravenna and Constantinople, whose end, a few years later, was sealed by Cassiodorus’ first letter, a document centered on the concept of concordia. (shrink)

Riassunto Il patronato letterario era un sistema di relazioni sociali diffuso nell’Italia Ostrogota, come attestano le opere di Ennodio, Boezio, Cassiodoro e Arator. Ennodio cercò a lungo un dives patronus che fosse in grado di dare fama alle sue opere, mentre Boezio, grazie al sostegno di Simmaco, ottenne in breve tempo grande notorietà, tanto che Teoderico cercò di farlo entrare a corte. Cassiodoro è l’esempio più noto del patronato teodericiano, mentre Arator rivela che anche i membri del clero furono importanti (...) mecenati. Questi autori permettono di comprendere i motivi che spinsero i letterati a cercare un patrono e le principali caratteristiche del patronato senatorio, regio ed ecclesiastico, oltre a testimoniare l’importanza degli studia litterarum nell’Italia tardoantica e le strategie di legittimazione adottate dai sovrani ostrogoti. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Klio Jahrgang: 99 Heft: 1 Seiten: 278-289.

The proposed peace treaty of 540 between Justinian and Vitiges ‒ according to most interpretations of Proc. Bell. Goth. 2.29.2 ‒ included a partition of Italy into two areas, one located south of the river Po and controlled by Justinian and the other located north of the Po and controlled by the Goths. However, a closer examination of Procopius’ wording and of similar passages indicates that Justinian aimed to receive only the tax revenues of southern and central Italy, with the (...) provinces themselves remaining in the hands of the Goths. (shrink)