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V: Late Antiquity: Christian Roman Empire, 200–599 CE
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DVC Late Antiquity Christian Roman Empire, 200–599 CE This page intentionally left blank [44.203.58.132] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 03:28 GMT) 145 z The Roman Emperor Constantine yoked the Classical world to Christianity early in the fourth century. In time, the imperial educational curriculum passed into theologians’ hands. Under the double weight of religion and empire, the delicate epigram began to buckle. Its defining characteristics—independent vision and a passionate frankness concerning life’s joys and sorrows—gave way to the churchly emphasis on renunciation and salvation . The effect, especially on the epitaph, proved fatal. Everything did not collapse at once. Originality remained possible. Good epitaphs continued to be written for several more centuries, at times with flair, as this final section shows. Even late in the sixth century, a poem by Agathias (page 156), could successfully adopt the voice of a great house mourning its builder’s death. Around the same time, Damaskios managed a convincing, two-line meditation on the death of a slave (page 160), but instances like these were growing rare. Among resolutely pagan poets, effete refinement begins to replace compression. Among new Christians, 146 D Cut These Words into My Stone heavy-handed moralizing more often stands in for real emotion, and conventional tropes supplant fresh similes. Palladas the Alexandrian, author of more than 150 epigrams , raises one of the last clear voices in Classicism’s struggle with the Church. His art when compared to Callimachus ’s may seem crude, but his melancholy candor is impressive. Palladas earned his living as a professional teacher of Greek and Latin literature. In old age, he lost his livelihood to a series of Christian reforms and antipagan laws. Though he never embraced Christianity, he considered opposition to it futile. A truth-telling poet, he predicts the demise of the classical world, even penning its epitaph: Latter-day Greeks, are we not dead And only seem to be alive . . . ? The closing of Plato’s Academy in Athens in 529 marks the official end of Greek pedagogy. A center of learning for a thousand years, the Academy stood for a method of uncovering truth through logical disputation that the new theology rejected. Fittingly, the Academy’s last director was the epigrammatist Damaskios. He fled to Persia after Emperor Justinian closed the school. The work of the scholar Agathias (536–582) marks a dividing line in quality and subject matter. With few exceptions , the writing of first-rate elegiac epigrams ends with him in the late sixth century. After Agathias, most surviving examples are exercises in rhetoric or predictable formulations on conventional Christian themes. 147 Anonymous If you notice this tomb at all as you pass, Don’t smirk because it only holds a dog. I was wept for. My master’s hands heaped up this dirt, Then cut these words into my stone. a ƘɚưƷƴƣƦƲưȱƵƳƥƴƠƧƩƭƵ ǶưƳƼƵƷƿƨƩƶʨuƥưƲƢƶʦƵ uƢ ƨơƲuƥƭ ƧƩƯƠƶʦƵƩȞƮƸưƿƵȂƶƷƭƷƠƹƲƵw ȈƮƯƥǀƶƬƫưwƺƩʶƴƩƵƨɘƮƿưƭưƶƸươƬƫƮƥưǶưƥƮƷƲƵ ȱƵuƲƸƮƥɜƶƷƢƯʦƷɞưƨˣȂƺƠƴƥƱƩƯƿƧƲư [44.203.58.132] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 03:28 GMT) 148 Diogenes Laertius Socrates, now you may drink in Zeus’s house. The oracle was right to call you wise. Wisdom itself is a goddess. All you got from the people of Athens was hemlock. They swallowed it themselves when it touched your lips. a ƕʶươưƸưȂưƉƭɞƵɊư ɌƗǁƮƴƥƷƩƵwȔƶƩƧɖƴȲưƷƼƵ ƮƥɜƶƲƹɞưƩȤƳƩƬƩƿƵ ƮƥɜƬƩɞƵȏƶƲƹƣƥ ƳƴɞƵƧɖƴǺƬƫưƥƣƼưƮǁưƩƭƲưdzƳƯ˒ƵƶɠȂƨơƱƼ ƥȺƷƲɜƨˣȂƱơƳƭƲưƷƲ˅ƷƲƷƩ˓ƶƷƿuƥƷƭ 149 Diogenes Laertius Eudoxus discovered his fate in Memphis. A bull with pretty horns informed him. It didn’t speak— How could it? Cattle don’t talk with their tongues. It licked his robe instead, as if to say, Your life is about to be stripped away. He died soon after—fifty-three years old. a ȈưƑơuƹƩƭƯƿƧƲƵȂƶƷɜuƥƬƩʶưȞƨƣƫưƳƲƷɘuƲƣƴƫư ƊȾƨƲƱƲưƳƥƴɖƷƲ˅ƮƥƯƯƣƮƩƴƼƷƥǀƴƲƸw ƮƲȺƨɘưȆƯƩƱƩwƳƿƬƩưƦƲʴƧɖƴƯƿƧƲưƲȺƳƿƴƩƹǀƷƯƫ ƲȺƨɘƯƠƯƲưuƿƶƺːǾƳƭƨƭƶƷƿuƥw DzƯƯɖƳƥƴˣƥȺƷɞưƯơƺƴƭƲƵƶƷɖƵȂƯƭƺuƢƶƥƷƲƶƷƿƯƲư ƳƴƲƹƥư˒ƵƷƲ˅ƷƲƨƭƨƠƶƮƼưw˦ǺƳƲƨǀƶʦƦƭƲƷɚư ȳƶƶƲưƲȾƳƼ˧ƨƭɞƮƥƣƲȟƷƥƺơƼƵȔƯƬƩuƿƴƲƵ ƨƩƮƠƮƭƵ ƳơưƷƩƮƥɜƷƴƩʶƵƩȞƶƭƨƿưƷƥƳƲƣƥƵ 150 Palladas Psullo, getting old, begrudged her heirs And made herself sole beneficiary. She stepped off to Hades in one quick leap, Expending life and wealth at once. She sank the estate and went down with it. She jumped to her death After spending the last penny. a ƜƸƯƯɢƳƴƩƶƦƸƧƩưɚƵƷƲʶƵƮƯƫƴƲưƿuƲƭƵƹƬƲươƶƥƶƥ ƥȺƷɚƮƯƫƴƲưƿuƲƵƷ˒ưȞƨƣƼưƧơƧƲưƩưw dzƯƯƲuơưƫƨɘƷƠƺƲƵƮƥƷơƦƫƨƿuƲưƩȞƵǺƅƨƥƲ ƷƥʶƵƨƥƳƠưƥƭƵƷɞƪʨưƶǀuuƩƷƴƲưƩȻƴƲuơưƫ ƳƠưƷƥƹƥƧƲ˅ƶƥƦƣƲưƶƸưƥƳǁƯƩƷƲƷƥʶƵƨƥƳƠưƥƭƶƭưw ȓƯƥƷƲƨˣƩȞƵDzƅƨƫư ɇƵDzƳƩƮƩƴuƠƷƭƶƩư [44.203.58.132] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 03:28 GMT) 151 Palladas Latter-day Greeks, are we not dead And only seem to be alive, Having fallen on hard times, Mistaking a dream for existence? Or are we alive, While our way of life has perished? a ǾƴƥuɚƬƥưƿưƷƩƵƷ˓ƨƲƮƩʶưƪ˒uƩưuƿưƲư ȍƯƯƫưƩƵǶưƨƴƩƵ ƶƸuƹƲƴʚƳƩƳƷƼƮƿƷƩƵ ȲưƩƭƴƲưƩȞƮƠƪƲưƷƩƵƩȤưƥƭƷɞưƦƣƲư Ȑƪ˒uƩưȏuƩʶƵ ƷƲ˅ƦƣƲƸƷƩƬưƫƮƿƷƲƵ 152 Julianos, Prefect of Egypt Greetings, shipwrecked sailor: When you arrive in Hades Don’t blame ocean waves for what the wind did. Wind Overwhelmed you. The...