Abstract
This entry explores the revival of poetry as a medium of literary communication in the period of Late Antiquity (third-sixth centuries CE). It suggests that the emerging force of Christianity had a profound effect on poetic discourse and that, as a result, poetry once again became an important platform for debate about key societal concerns: the relationship between Classical culture and Christianity, and the meaning of Late Antiquity itself.
It has recently been observed that a defining characteristic of the first to th…