|
|
Article: Sidonius Apollinaris and the Fall of Rome: AD 407-485.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Historian
- Article date:
- January 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Phi Alpha Theta, History Honor Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
On the strength of his poems and letters, Sidonius is a choice witness to the last century of the western Empire and has been much noticed. Barbarian power-centers in Gaul were a fact throughout his formative years, and the end of Roman control was a reality at the time of his death. Meanwhile, Sidonius held high state office, had an emperor as father-in-law, made a name in literature, and closed his days as bishop of Clermont in Auvergne. He is now the subject of a volume in the ongoing Oxford rewriting of late Roman history.
Jill Harries, systematically tracing the stages of Sidonius's life, appears to build on her dissertation, "Bishops, Senators and Their Cities ...