Linda Jones Hall, professor emerita of history, has a new book, "The Poems of Optatian: Puzzling out the Past in the Time of Constantine the Great" (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024).
Publilius Optatianus Porfyrius (Optatian) was sent into exile by Constantine sometime after the Emperor's ascent to power in Rome in 312 AD. Hoping to receive pardon, Optatian sent a gift of probably twenty design poems to Constantine around the time of the ruler's twentieth anniversary (325/326 AD). In Hall's new book, the poems and accompanying letters of Optatian are published with a translation and detailed commentary, along with a full introduction to Optatian's work during this period.
Hall's previous publications include "Roman Berytus: Beirut in Late Antiquity" (Routledge, 2004).
