Cassiodorus, Theodatus, and restoration of bronze elephants of the Via Sacra

Authors

  • Cristina La Rocca Università degli Studi di Padova

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/1593-2214/46

Keywords:

Late Antiquity, 6th century, Rome, Cassiodorus

Abstract

The analysis of the Cassiodoro’s Variae allows to realize his careful meditation on the past times. He discriminates antiquitas from vetustas, and he emphasizes the different approach of Theoderic, king of Goths, from his successors about the restoration and rebuilding in the Italian and Gothic cities. In particular, La Rocca analyses a letter to king Theodatus, about the restoration of four bronze elephants (in the Via Sacra in Rome), and explains the metaphorical meaning of the image of the elephant, endowed of bodily strenght but fully dependent on man, when he’s in captivity.

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Published

2010-12-15

How to Cite

La Rocca, Cristina. 2010. “Cassiodorus, Theodatus, and Restoration of Bronze Elephants of the Via Sacra”. Reti Medievali Journal 11 (2):25-44. https://doi.org/10.6092/1593-2214/46.

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2010)

Section

Essayes in Monographic Section

License

RM Journal is an open access, online publication, with licence:

cc-by-80x15_80

CCPL Creative Commons Attribution

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