Imperial Panegyric from Diocletian
to Honorius examines one of the most important
literatures of the late Roman period - speeches of praise addressed to the reigning
emperor - and the panegyrical culture of the late Roman world more generally. Unlike
much previous work on this topic, Imperial Panegyric takes a consciously comparative
approach, especially between eastern and western, Greek and Latin texts.
Each contributor
draws upon evidence taken from multiple authors or from different kinds of panegyric
in order to explore both the communal and the particular in this most idiosyncratic
of media. The volume investigates to what extent there
was a unified concept of imperial panegyric, and how local circumstances shaped
individual speeches. It also considers the ways in which traditional forms of praise-giving
respond to fourth-century phenomena such as the expansion of Christianity, collegial
rulership, and the decline of Rome as the political centre of the empire. Its
contributors include a roster of some of the most important names in the field
of panegyric studies, both established researchers and the rising stars of the
new generation.
