Antioch as a centre of Hellenic culture as observed by Libanius

"Focusing on the first and last years of Libanius' Antiochene career (AD 354-388), the speeches in this volume illustrate the great range of Libanius' rhetorical skills, while at the same time illuminating the intrigues of city politics and university life. The book's focal points are the great patriotic Antiochikos (Oration 11), delivered soon after Libanius' return to his native city, and the long defence of his educational system (Oration 62) from almost thirty years later, in which a bellicose tone is adopted to rebut a personal attack on Libanius' failure to produce a really successful student. The shorter speeches give unparalleled insights into problems of sharply contemporary relevance - teachers' pay, student indiscipline and rioting, threats from the rival Latin curriculum, accusations of professional incompetence, as well as everyday details of academic life. The majority of these speeches have not previously been translated into English. This volume will interest not only students of Libanius and of Antioch, but also those engaged in the broader study of education, rhetoric, Hellenic culture and upper-class pagan society in late antiquity."-- Publisher description.