Eutropius as an oriental Building the invective with references to orient in the first book of Claudian’s In Eutropium
Eutropius as an oriental Building the invective with references to orient in the first book of Claudian’s In Eutropium

Summary/Abstract: Eutropius, eunuch who became the consul of the Roman Empire in 399 AD under Arcadius, is a villain of Claudius Claudian’s invective In Eutropium. Argumentation in this piece is based on many negative topoi employed in the earlier Roman poetry. In doing this, the poet makes a particular use of stereotypes connected with the East, by dint of which he can attribute these features to the Eastern Roman Empire (epitomised by Eutropius) and – at the same time – to show that the right Roman virtues are fostered in the Western Roman Empire, controlled by the poet’s patron, Stilicho.

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