Recommendation Letters of Libanius and Other Late Antique Letter Writers : Wielding Power and Influence through Letter Writing (Mnemosyne, Supplements)

This volume looks into the recommendation letters penned by Libanius and other late antique epistolographers. Marien conducts a detailed analyses of the letters written for the same recommendee to different addressees, reassessing such documents from the perspective of exerting influence within the larger community. As for Libanius, Marien discusses 62 letter sets or 230 letters at least. The author also examines how a recommendation process larger than the recommendation letter itself can be seen in late antique letter collections. At the same time, the volume explores the epistolary practice of judicial interventions occurring in a precise institutional context.