Front Cover: As pointed out by Deborah Deliyannis in this issue, the dome of the mausoleum of the Ostrogothic king Theoderic (493–526) in Ravenna was crafted from a single block of limestone, 35 feet in diameter and weighing over 300 tons, ferried over from Istria. The dome rests on a base girdled by the famous Zangenfries (“pincer frieze”), an abstract decorative motif unknown from any earlier monument and known only from contemporary or later Germanic contexts. The exact method used to raise the dome into position is uncertain, although the twelve equally spaced right-angled perforated projections might have played a role: the dome could have been simply dragged up an earthen ramp using brute force or, more elegantly, it might have been lifted in good Roman fashion by means of heavy-duty cranes, ropes, pulleys, and winches. The ends of the twelve projections bear the names of the four evangelists plus the eight other apostles. The awkward lack of centering of the name “SCS PETRUS” depicted here, along with the unorthodox use of “U” rather than “V”, could suggest that these names were later additions. The argument that the names must be contemporary because it would have been too diffi cult to add them after the dome was in place can be dismissed out of hand. According to legend, a crack at the top of the dome (which probably occurred when it was being set into place) resulted from a divine thunderbolt that reduced the body of Theoderic to ashes.

Journal of Late Antiquity

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From the Editor
Ralph W. Mathisen
p. 201
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404236
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Libanius, Gregory of Nazianzus, and the Ideal of Athens in Late Antiquity
Aaron Wenzel
pp. 264-285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404239
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Enduring Stereotypes: Rhetorical Education and the "Problem" of Marriage
Heather Waddell Gruber
pp. 286-299
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404240
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Law and Society in Ostrogothic Italy: Evidence from the Edictum Theoderici
Sean Lafferty
pp. 337-364
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404243
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The Mausoleum of Theoderic and the Seven Wonders of the World
Deborah M. Deliyannis
pp. 365-385
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404244
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Jerome of Stridon: His Life, Writings and Legacy (review)
Michael Graves
pp. 386-389
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404245
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Palestine in Late Antiquity (review)
David Hunt
pp. 391-393
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404247
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Contents
pp. 397-398
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2010.a404248

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