Galla Placidia: The Last Roman Empress

235 Pages·2011·4.597 MB·English

by  Hagith Sivan

G a l l a P l ac i d i a
WOMEN IN ANTIQUITY
Series Editors: Ronnie Ancona and Sarah B. Pomeroy
Th is book series provides compact and accessible introductions to the life and
historical times of women from the ancient world. Approaching ancient history
and culture broadly, the series selects fi gures from the earliest of times to late
antiquity.
Cleopatra
A Biography
Duane W. Roller
Clodia Metelli
Th e Tribune’s Sister
Marilyn B. Skinner
Galla Placidia
Th e Last Roman Empress
Hagith Sivan
G A L L A
P L A C I D I A
T H E L A S T R O M A N E M P R E S S

Hagith Sivan
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sivan, Hagith,–
Galla Placidia: the last Roman empress /Hagith Sivan.
p. cm.—(Women in antiquity)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-537912-9—ISBN 978-0-19-537913-6
1. Galla Placidia, Empress, ca. 386–450. 2. Rome—History—Valentinian III, 425–455.
3. Rome—History—Germanic Invasions, 3rd–6th centuries. 4. Empresses—Rome—Biography. I. Title.
DG338.S58 2011
937′.09092—dc22 [B] 2010041076
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Jim Seaver
whose passing on March 14, 2011, has made us all poorer;
he will be long remembered.
And to
Albert Noyer,
Author and Galla fan,
with thanks for shared hilarity
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Contents

Abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
1. A Wedding in Gaul (414) 9
2. Funerals in Barcelona (414–416) 37
3. Th e Making of an Empress (417–425) 60
4 . Restoration and Rehabilitation (425–431) 94
5. A Bride, a Book, and a Pope (437–438) 119
6. Between Rome and Ravenna (438–450) 142
7. Conclusion 170
Appendixes 177
A. Maps: Galla’s Life in Cartography 179
B. Time Line 182
C. Family Tree 185
D. Images 186
Bibliography 201
Index 219
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Abbreviations

ACO. Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum
ACW. Ancient Christian Writers
Agnellus, L PR . Agnellus of Ravenna, Th e Book of Pontiff s of the Church of
Ravenna , trans. D. M. Deliyannis (Washington 2004)
AJP. American Journal of Philology
AT. Antiquité Tardive
Blockley. R. C. Blockley, Th e Fragmentary Classicising Historians of the Later
Roman Empire: Eunapius, Olympiodorus, Priscus and Malchus
(Liverpool 1983)
BMCR. Bryn Mawr Classical Review (online)
Byz.Z. Byzantinische Zeitscrift
CA. Collectio Avellana ( CSEL 35)
CIL. Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (available online)
CJ. Codex Justinianus
CLRE . R. S. Bagnall et al., Consuls of the Later Roman Empire (Atlanta
1987)
CM. Chronica Minora (Mommsen)
Colman-Norton. P. R. Colman-Norton, R oman State and Christian Church: A
Collection of Legal Documents to AD 535 , 3 vols. (London 1966)
C P. Classical Philology
CSEL. Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum
CTh . Codex Th eodosianus (Mommsen-Meyer-Krueger, available online)
DOP. Dumbarton Oaks Papers
G&R. Greece and Rome
HSCP. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology
ICUR. Inscriptiones Christianae ad Urbem Romam pertinentes
ILCV. Inscriptiones Latinae Christianae Veters
I LS. Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae
IRC. Inscriptions Romaines de Catalogne
JAC. Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum