The patria of Claudianus (FGrHist 282)

Following the interpretation of Felix Jacoby (FGrHist 282), I argue that the Κλαυδιανός quoted by the scholium to the Gr. Anth. I 19 is the same man presented by the Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius (I 19) as one of the most famous poets of the age of Theodosius II. He dedicated his patria to four cities involved in the movements and the reforms of the imperial court between 408 and 450 (Tarsus, Anazarbus, Berytus and Nicaea). For this reason, I reject the identification proposed by Alan Cameron between the Κλαυδιανός of the scholium and the Latin poet Claudian, who worked for the emperor Honorius and died around 404. In the same way, I turn down the proposal of Pawel Janiszewski, who identifies the mysterious author with the philosopher of the same name, who lived in the mid-fourth century and is quoted by the Lives of Sophists of Eunapius (VII 1,4; XVIII 1)

CLAUDIAN, DE RAPTU PROSERPINAE 1.82 AND GEORGICS 3.68

Identification & analysis of an imitation of Virgil's Georgics in Claudian, De Raptu Proserpinae

The SN 393 -- SNR RX J1713.7-3946 (G347.3-0.5) Connection

Although the connection of the Chinese "guest" star of 393 AD with the Galactic supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946 (G347.3-0.5) made by Wang et al. in 1997 is consistent with the remnant's relatively young properties and the guest star's projected position within the `tail' of the constellation Scorpius, there are difficulties with such an association. The brief Chinese texts concerning the 393 AD guest star make no comment about its apparent brightness stating only that it disappeared after 8 months. However, at the remnant's current estimated 1 - 1.3 kpc distance and A_v ~ 3 mag, its supernova should have been a visually bright object at maximum light (-3.5 to -5.0 mag) and would have remained visible for over a year. The peak brightness ~ 0 magnitude adopted by Wang et al. and others would require the RX J1713.7-3946 supernova to have been a very subluminous supernova event similar to or fainter than CCSNe like SN 2005cs. We also note problems connecting SN 393 with a European record in which the Roman poet Claudian describes a visually brilliant star in the heavens around 393 AD that could be readily seen even in midday. Although several authors have suggested this account may be a reference to the Chinese supernova of 393, Scorpius would not be visible near midday in March when the Chinese first reported the 393 guest star. We review both the Chinese and Roman accounts and calculate probable visual brightnesses for a range of supernova subtypes and conclude that neither the Chinese nor the Roman descriptions are easily reconciled with an expected RX J1713.7-3946 supernova brightness and duration.Comment: 7 pages includes 2 tables. Accepted for publication in AJ. Revised text regarding subluminous SN

The making of Britain’s first urban landscapes: the case of late Iron Age and Roman Essex

This paper presents preliminary research into the social and economic impact of early urban settlement in Britain, focusing on the case-study area of Late Iron Age to Roman Essex. Through fresh analysis of ceramic assemblages from Colchester and Heybridge, we describe hitherto unrecognised socio-cultural groupings and identities through subtle differences in the deposition of pottery in the generations before and after conquest. The concluding discussion concentrates on problems that we still have to address in describing the economic basis of early urban society in Britain

Two seventeenth-century translations of two dark Roman satires: John Knyvett’s <i>Juvenal 1</i> and J.H.’s <i>In Eutropium 1</i>

This article consists of a transcription of the texts of two previously unprinted seventeenth-century verse translations, with accompanying editorial matter. John Knyvett's dates to 1639, at which time Knyvett, whose Juvenal was known to Sir Thomas Browne but has since disappeared from view, was an undergraduate at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. J.H.’s of 1664 is also a very early English version of his chosen author, and remains the only English attempt on In Eutropium in verse to this day. The two translations are not otherwise connected

Spenser and the Historical Revolution: Briton Moniments and the Problem of Roman Britain

Curran argues that, since Roman Britain is a key to understanding the historiographical debates of Edmund Spenser\u27s time, the Roman Britain section of Briton Moniments in The Faerie Queene needs to be examined. It is here that Spenser acknowledged the direction historiography was taking, and saw how this new trend altered the relation between history and glory