Open Access„Vom Zentrum an die Peripherie – und umgekehrt“ Zu Ausonius,Ordo Urbium Nobilium, und Prudentius,Peristephanon
Author(s) -
Kurt Smolak
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
lexis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.123
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 2724-1564
pISSN - 2210-8823
DOI - 10.30687/lexis/2724-1564/2021/02/009
Subject(s) - poetry , art , roman empire , philosophy , center (category theory) , empire , humanities , classics , literature , history , theology , ancient history , chemistry , crystallography
This article deals with the relationship between an urban center and peripheries in two Latin pieces of ʻcollected poetry’: Ausonius’ catalogue of cities of the Empire, Ordo urbium nobilium , and Prudentius’ cycle of hymns on Christian martyrs of the Western Romania , the Peristephanon . In both collections Rome, diametrically opposed in the initial and final positions, points to the geometric center of the orbis terrarum , in each poem for both an objective and a subjective reason: Ausonius was writing as a former consul in ca. 389, Prudentius as a pilgrim in ca. 399. The latter may have compiled his cycle as a Christian counterpart to Ausonius’ Ordo , starting with the Passio of the ideal Christian Roman by name, Romanus, and ending in historical Rome at the tomb of Agnes.