Editing Late antiquity (section)

==Literature==
{{Main|Late antique literature}}
[[File:ViennaDioscoridesPlant.jpg|thumb|The [[Vienna Dioscurides]], an early 6th-century [[illuminated manuscript]] of ''De [[Materia Medica]]'' by [[Dioscorides]] in Greek, a rare example of a late antique scientific text]]

In the field of literature, late antiquity is known for the declining use of [[Ancient Greek literature|classical Greek]] and [[Latin literature|Latin]], and the rise of literary cultures in [[Syriac literature|Syriac]], [[Armenian literature|Armenian]], [[Georgian literature|Georgian]], [[Ge'ez language|Ethiopic]], [[Arabic literature|Arabic]], and [[Coptic literature|Coptic]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} It also marks a shift in literary style, with a preference for encyclopedic works in a dense and allusive style, consisting of summaries of earlier works (anthologies, epitomes) often dressed up in elaborate allegorical garb (e.g., ''De nuptiis Mercurii et Philologiae'' [The Marriage of Mercury and Philology] of [[Martianus Capella]] and the ''De arithmetica'', ''De musica'', and {{Lang|la|[[De consolatione philosophiae]]}} of [[Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius|Boethius]]—both later key works in medieval education). The 4th and 5th centuries also saw an explosion of [[Christian literature]], of which Greek writers such as [[Eusebius of Caesarea]], [[Basil of Caesarea]], [[Gregory of Nazianzus]] and [[John Chrysostom]] and Latin writers such as [[Ambrose of Milan]], [[Jerome]] and [[Augustine of Hippo]] are only among the most renowned representatives. On the other hand, authors such as [[Ammianus Marcellinus]] (4th century) and [[Procopius of Caesarea]] (6th century) were able to keep the tradition of classical [[Hellenistic historiography]] alive in the Byzantine empire.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} Due to several factors of the era, among them the political instability and the constant military threats, [[Military treatise|treatises on war]] became a popular genre<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rance |first=Philip |title=Greek Taktika. Ancient Military Writing and its Heritage |publisher=Foundation for the Development of the University of Gdansk |year=2017 |isbn=978-83-7531-242-3 |location=Gdansk |pages=9–64 |language=English |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> with the [[Byzantine military manuals]] achieving great renown and influence: the most famous of which is the ''[[Strategikon of Maurice|Strategikon]]'' attributed to [[Maurice (emperor)|Emperor Maurice]], written in the 6th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rance |first=Philip |title=Greek taktika: ancient military writing and its heritage - Proceedings of the International Conference on Greek "taktika" held at the University of Toruń, 7-11 April 2005 |date=2017 |publisher=Foundation for the Development of Gdańsk University |isbn=978-83-7531-242-3 |series=Akanthina |location=Gdànsk |pages=217–255 |chapter=Maurice’s Strategicon and “the Ancients”: the Late Antique Reception of Aelian and Arrian}}</ref>

One genre of literature among Christian writers in this period was the [[Hexaemeron]], dedicated to the composition of commentaries, homilies, and treatises concerned with the exegesis of the [[Genesis creation narrative]]. The first example of this was the [[Hexaemeron (Basil of Caesarea)|Hexaemeron of Basil of Caesarea]], with the first occurrence in Syriac literature being the [[Hexaemeron (Jacob of Serugh)|Hexaemeron of Jacob of Serugh]].{{Sfn|Gasper|2024}}

===Poetry===
Greek poets of the late antique period included [[Antoninus Liberalis]], [[Quintus Smyrnaeus]], [[Nonnus]], [[Romanus the Melodist]] and [[Paul the Silentiary]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Latin poets included [[Ausonius]], [[Paulinus of Nola]], [[Claudian]], [[Rutilius Namatianus]], [[Orientius]], [[Sidonius Apollinaris]], [[Corippus]] and [[Arator]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Jewish poets included [[Yannai (Payetan)|Yannai]], [[Eleazar ben Killir]] and [[Jose b. Jose|Yose ben Yose]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}