Institute for Medieval Studies

Session	319
Title	Social and Literary Authority in Late Antiquity, III: Inscribing Authority
Date/Time	Monday 4 July 2022: 16.30-18.00
Sponsor	Postgraduate & Early-Career Late Antiquity Network
Organiser	Ben Kybett, Independent Scholar, York
Moderator/Chair	Ben Kybett, Independent Scholar, York
Paper 319-a	'Patres imposce benignos': Prefatory Expressions of Authority through Late Antiquity (Language: English) Giovanni Trovato, Dipartimento di Italianistica, Romanistica, Antichistica, Arti e Spettacolo, Università degli Studi di Genova Index Terms: Language and Literature - Latin; Social History
Paper 319-b	The Scriptural Authority of Late Antique Biblical Epics (Language: English) Victoria Downey, Department of Theology & Religion, Durham University Index Terms: Biblical Studies; Language and Literature - Latin; Learning (The Classical Inheritance)
Paper 319-c	What Authority?: The Law and the Creation of Curse Tablets in Late Antiquity (Language: English) Charlotte Spence, Department of Classics, Ancient History, Religion & Theology, University of Exeter Index Terms: Epigraphy; Pagan Religions; Religious Life
Abstract	This session will explore how inscribed authority was employed and understood within the late antique world. The first paper (Trovato) discusses the expressions of authority within the prefaces of Latin texts and how these can inform our understandings of the author's own perceptions of different types of authority. The second paper (Downey) considers how the use of Classical forms and genres lends authority to new, Christian epics and what this means for the wider compositions of biblical epics. The final paper (Spence) investigates the creation of curse-tablets and whether or not these were controlled by a legal authority.