Graeco-Roman

Copyright (C) 1998, Ralph W. Mathisen. After the death of Anthemius (467-472), not to mention that of Olybrius (472), the aging eastern emperor http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/early/De_Imp/leo1.htm">Leo  would have viewed himself once again as sole emperor, with the right to select a new emperor in the west. Initially, he seems not to have made any effort to name a western colleague, perhaps being forestalled by the example of what had happened to Anthemius and by not having a suitable candidate of his own. In 473, however, he decided to take action after the Patrician Gundobad raised Glycerius, the Count of the Domestics, to the purple in March. John of Antioch noted, "When Leo, the emperor of the east, learned of the election of Glycerius, he appointed Nepos as general of an expedition against him" (fr.209.2: Gordon trans., p.122). Leo must have dithered for some time before doing so, because by the time the decision was made the approaching winter had cl...

Theodosius is one of the sovereigns by universal consent called Great. He stamped out the last vestiges of paganism, put an end to the Arian heresy in the empire, pacified the Goths, left a famous example of penitence for a crime, and reigned as a just and mighty Catholic emperor. His father, the Comes Theodosius, was a distinguished general; both he and the mother Thermantia were Catholics at a time when Arianism was at its strongest. Theodosius the son distinguished himself in the army, was made Dux of Moesia, defeated the Sarmatians (Ammianus Marcellinus, XXIX, 6); then, when an intrigue brought about the disgrace and execution of his father (376) he retired to his own property in Spain. But his reputation was not forgotten. The Emperor Gratian (375-383) after the death of Valens (378) took Theodosius from private life and made him his fellow-emperor (Augustus) for the East (January 19, 379). He was already married to "Elea Flacilla, by whom he had two sons, Arcadiu...

(c. 20 b.c.e.­c. 50 c.e.) philosopher and scholar The first-century c.e. Jewish author and philosopher Philo of Alexandria is an important figure for both Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity. He was born  around 20 b.c.e. in Alexandria into one of the wealthiest and most distinguished Jewish families. Alexandria  had a thriving Jewish community and was known for  its intellectual vigor. In addition to his Jewish education,  therefore, Philo received schooling in the Greek custom,  including the philosophy of Plato, Middle Platonism,  Neoplatonism, and Stoicism, as well as Greek literature and rhetoric, all of which are evident in his work.  For example, he refers to God with the Greek term logos when discussing the divine creation of the world.The influence of Greek traditions on Judaism in Philo’s  work becomes in part representative of what is generally  known as Hellenistic Judaism in distinction from Palestinian Judaism...

Where linguistic evidence can give us very little help, however, is with chronology. We know the Slavic language family emerged relatively recently, but what does that mean? Some experts argue that the split with Baltic-speakers began only in the middle of the first millennium AD, at the precise moment when Slavic-speakers begin to appear in our sources. Others would place it much earlier – by maybe even a thousand or more years. This difference of opinion matters when it comes to trying to understand the Slavicization of Europe which unfolded after c.500 AD. If we should be envisaging very few Slavic-speakers at that date because the linguistic split was just beginning, so that Europe’s Slavic-speakers may have amounted to no more than the Sclavenes and Antae of Korchak and Penkovka fame, then the broad Slavic domination of Europe achieved by c.900 AD has to be accounted for from an extremely restricted demographic base. If, on the contrary, the Slavic linguist...