Ravenna in Late Antiquity (review)

This is a remarkable book, which admirably fulfills the author’s intention to produce a scholarly work in English that summarizes the whole field of Ravenna studies from the origin of the city in the third century B.C. to the present day, with a concentration on the late antique period. Her introduction covers both the rise and fall of Ravenna’s status as a capital city during that period, and the historiography which, starting in the ninth century with Agnellus of Ravenna, has developed around the history and monuments of the city. The author’s translation and annotation of Agnellus’s manuscript as The Book of Pontiffs of the Church of Ravenna (Washington, DC, 2004) has given her a unique background to undertake this formidable task.

Deliyannis’s chapters cover, in sequence, Ravenna’s history from the third century B.C. to the time of Agnellus in the ninth century A.D. In the first chapter she discusses Ravenna in Roman times, with the imperial harbor and fleet at nearby Classe. The period 400–489, when Ravenna was the de facto capital city of the western Roman empire is treated in her second chapter, followed by Ravenna’s infrastructure and imperial monuments in the third. Ostrogothic Ravenna also merits two chapters. Theoderic’s Arian rule from 493 to 526 and his secular buildings, both palaces and mausoleum, are discussed in the fourth chapter, whereas the fifth focuses on the beliefs of the rival sects, Arian and Orthodox, as expressed in their religious buildings. The magnificent buildings raised by the Orthodox Church shortly after Theoderic’s death are also discussed. Deliyannis then surveys the chaotic period in mid-sixth century Italy, when Lombard invasions and outbreaks of plague allowed Justinian’s reconquest of Italy. Ravenna was to become the capital of the Byzantine territories there under the ultimate control of representatives from Constantinople. This early Byzantine period is marked by the growing power of the Church in Ravenna from 540 to 600 and the patronage of its archbishops, who built both San Vitale and Sant’Apollinare in Classe. Finally, Deliyannis investigates Ravenna’s transition from a capital city in late antiquity to a regional center in the early Middle Ages, as portrayed by Agnellus.

The book is illustrated by clear and useful line drawings and plans, as well as by black-and-white photographs and color plates, which vary in quality. It is the first to survey the bulk of the Ravenna literature, little of which is in English. The author’s background as a historian of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, her familiarity with Agnellus’s manuscript, and her interest in the history of late-antique art have ensured that her book will be extremely useful to students and scholars in these disciplines. The quality of the voluminous reference section enables the scholar to access the literature easily, with the guidance of Deliyannis’s text. In general, the author’s policy is to outline the arguments expressed in the literature and to leave readers to form their own opinions. Very occasionally, she chooses to support a traditional option that ignores compelling recent arguments for a change of interpretation. A case in point is her traditional identification of the “running saint” in the south lunette of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia as St. Lawrence, rather than St. Vincent of Saragossa. The latter interpretation is based on the iconography of the composition as a whole and has been well accepted in the recent literature.

All in all, Deliyannis has provided an exceptional resource. Her book is a mine of information; it is functionally laid out, remarkably complete, and often points the scholar to interesting, unresolved questions. The book will become an essential resource for all those interested in the history, art, and architecture of Ravenna in late antiquity.