Late Antiquity I: Secular and Religious Life in Late Antiquity
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Society for Late Antiquity
Organizer Name
Ralph W. Mathisen
Organizer Affiliation
Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
Presider Name
Ralph W. Mathisen
Paper Title 1
Fragile Evidence: Decorated Glass in Late Antique Rome
Presenter 1 Name
Stephanie Smith
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Youngstown State Univ.
Paper Title 2
A Second Seal Matrix of Alaric, Rex Gothorum
Presenter 2 Name
Genevra Kornbluth
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Kornbluth Photography
Paper Title 3
Why Rogationtide Is Not the Ambarvalia
Presenter 3 Name
Nathan J. Ristuccia
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Univ. of Notre Dame
Paper Title 4
Bishop Caesarius of Arles's Reluctant Healing Miracles: Monastic versus Martinian Spirituality
Presenter 4 Name
Giselle de Nie
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Univ. Utrecht
Start Date
11-5-2013 3:30 PM
Session Location
Schneider 1255
Description
During the past 40 years Late Antiquity (ca. 200-800 CE) has become recognized as a new historical period with its own unique characteristics. With regard to religion, Late Antiquity is the first age of monotheistic religions represented by people seeking spiritual and emotional, not to mention material, satisfaction in religion. With regard to politics, Late Antiquity brought a retreat from centralized governments and a the tendency toward ever-larger empires that had been underway ever since the Bronze Age, and a movement toward localism even in the face of putatively strong central powers. Late Antiquity brought an expanded role of an underlying belief in the rule by law, seen in secular, canon, and vulgar law, at the same time that central authority seemed to be breaking down. Culturally, Late Antiquity is represented by artistic trends that focused on idealization, and the privileging of content/message over form. And with regard to literature, contrary to many past assumptions, Late Antiquity was marked by a great flowering of literary production, much of which survived because of the switch from the use of papyrus to parchment as the primary writing material. These sessions sponsored by the Society for Late Antiquity demonstrate how these, and other factors, give Late Antiquity its unique identity.
Ralph Mathisen
Late Antiquity I: Secular and Religious Life in Late Antiquity
Schneider 1255
During the past 40 years Late Antiquity (ca. 200-800 CE) has become recognized as a new historical period with its own unique characteristics. With regard to religion, Late Antiquity is the first age of monotheistic religions represented by people seeking spiritual and emotional, not to mention material, satisfaction in religion. With regard to politics, Late Antiquity brought a retreat from centralized governments and a the tendency toward ever-larger empires that had been underway ever since the Bronze Age, and a movement toward localism even in the face of putatively strong central powers. Late Antiquity brought an expanded role of an underlying belief in the rule by law, seen in secular, canon, and vulgar law, at the same time that central authority seemed to be breaking down. Culturally, Late Antiquity is represented by artistic trends that focused on idealization, and the privileging of content/message over form. And with regard to literature, contrary to many past assumptions, Late Antiquity was marked by a great flowering of literary production, much of which survived because of the switch from the use of papyrus to parchment as the primary writing material. These sessions sponsored by the Society for Late Antiquity demonstrate how these, and other factors, give Late Antiquity its unique identity.
Ralph Mathisen