Giulia Marconi - The practice of commendatio in Ostrogothic Italy: studies on the letters of Ennodius of Pavia

We intend to analize the theory and practice of commendatio in the letters of Ennodius of Pavia, and compare it with his model, Symmachus.

The first aim is to detect the changes in the practice of commendatio from the IV to the VI A.D., trying to understand to what extent they were caused, on one hand, by the ecclesiastical status of Ennodius, deacon of the Church of Milan, and, on the other, by the peculiar situation of Theoderician Italy, in wich, unlike the other kingdoms, the Roman administrative structures were more complex and stood longer, thanks to some powerful member of Roman senatorial aristocracy and provincial nobility.