Études sur la Correspondance de Synésios de Cyrène by Denis Roques

Chronology is a science of minute questions and seemingly picayune distinctions, compared to the grander concerns of history, literature, or the personality of an ancient author. But as Roques emphasizes, interpretive problems should be addressed within a solid objective framework, such as chronology establishes (pp. 6, 235). This volume presents studies that R. carried out preliminary to his Syne'sios de Cyrene et la Cyrenaique du Bas-Empire (Paris, 1987). In fact Synesius' writings are not limited in significance to himself and Cyrenaica: they illuminate literary, philosophical, religious, political, and historical issues of the later Roman Empire as a whole. R.'s thorough, detailed study should bear upon any research that makes use of them. Unfortunately, flaws both in his primary assumptions and in his method of proceeding from them drastically limit the usefulness of his conclusions.