"Today Claudian... is almost forgotten. But he is worth discovering." - Klinger

"Cl. deserves more attention than is generally paid him." - Coleridge Table Talk Sept. 1853.

[More assessments]

Often called the "last poet of Rome," Claudian (c. 370 - 404 CE) is one of the central figures of Latin literature from the closing period of classical Antiquity. Our main source for the crucial period following the death of Theodosius I (364-395 CE) when political control of the eastern and western sections of the Empire was irrevocably split, Claudian is a superb technical poet in his own right and his poems contain much humor, beauty, emotion, and intelligence.

General

Bill Thayer's amazingly expansive Lacus Curtius site, includes Platnauer's text and translations of the historical poems, Magnes, and De Crystallo and Platnauer's introduction to his Loeb edition.

Michael Hendry's Carmina Latina includes a brief introduction and the early stages of a full electronic edition of Claudian.

Angelo Luceri's Claudianus Homepage has most of Hall's edition on-line and promises other critical texts, sigla, and bibliography.

San José State's ROMEWEB has a brief introduction to Claudian.

GIGA Quote maintains a page of Claudian quotations.

---

Timeline of Claudian's Life and WorksStandard abbreviations of Claudian's works

Collection of appraisals of Claudian.

Text and commentary (coming soon) on the inscription dedicated to Claudian (CIL VI. 1710)

Chronological Distribution of Manuscripts [Graph]

Bibliography

Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography: since this is very much a work in progress, I am not yet posting this project. I'll happily respond to queries and requests for information.

Brief introductory bibliographies have been compiled by Angelo Luceri and Joachim Gruber

As part of his Traditio Classicorum, Charles H. Lohr has compiled a brief bibliography on Claudian's fortuna before 1650 CE.

Texts (in addition to the collections listed above)

The Forum Romanum includes links to most texts by Claudian.

VI Cons. Honorii, edited by J. O'Donnell

The Latin Library includes texts of Panegyricus dicto Probino et Olybrio Consulibus, Panegyricus de Sexto Consulatu Honorii Augusti, De raptu Prosperpinae Bks I-III, In Rufinum Bk. I

Carmina Minora - Text by Birt 1892 [Web] [PDF] [For iPod - Download]

Carmina Minora

Catalogue of the major manuscripts of Claudian

Studies

Robert Vermaat has a survey of Claudian's references to Britain at Vortigern Studies: British History

Conferences

Aetas Claudianea: Berlin 2002

Handout for "Claudian's Carmina Minora", a paper I delivered at the 2005 APA

Miscellanea

Hermann Sudermann composed a five-act play, Die Lobgesänge des Claudian, in 1914. (Translation coming soon).

Jan Novak (1921-1984) set a selection from Fescennina de nuptiis Honorii Augusti in his Cantica Latina

Claudian is the central figure in Hella S. Haasse's Threshold of Fire: A Novel of Fifth Century Rome (review coming soon).