Dr Richard Flower

Temporary Lecturer in Medieval History

Roman, late Roman and late-antique history; rhetoric, authority and power

Office Hours: Spring 2011-12 - Mondays 11:00-12:00, Wednesdays 10:00-11:00

richard.flower@sheffield.ac.uk

+44 (0)114 22 22610
 

Jessop West 3.07

Major Publications

Biography

Richard joined the History Department in September 2011, although he was born and raised in Sheffield. In the intervening years, he studied for his BA, MPhil and PhD at Clare College, Cambridge, before spending four years as a Research Fellow at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

Research

Current Research

Having spent several years looking at the role of invective in the political culture of the later Roman empire, Richard is now embarking on a new project examining the growth of late-antique heresiology in the context of classical notion of the authority of ordered knowledge.

Research Interests

Richard’s research interests range across the Roman, late Roman and early medieval periods, although he specialises in the role of invective and abuse in all forms of politics and the formation of authoritative knowledge in late antiquity.

Knowledge Exchange and Public Engagement

To Follow.

Research Supervision

Responsibilities

 To Follow.

Selected Publications

Books / Special Issues

- (Under review at a press) The Use of Abuse: Imperial Invective in Fourth-Century Rome.

- (Under contract) How to Abuse a Heretical Emperor: Athanasius of Alexandria's 'History of the Arians', Lucifer of Cagliari's 'The Necessity of Dying for the Son of God' and Hilary of Poitiers' 'Against Constantius' (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press).

- C. Kelly, R. Flower and M. S. Williams (edd.), Unclassical Traditions. Volume I: Alternatives to the Classical Past in Late Antiquity (Cambridge: Cambridge Philological Society, 2010).

- C. Kelly, R. Flower and M. S. Williams (edd.), Unclassical Traditions. Volume II: Perspectives from East and West in Late Antiquity (Cambridge: Cambridge Philological Society, 2011).

Essays and Articles

- 'The Emperor's New Past: Re-enactment and Inversion in Christian Invectives against Constantius II' in C. Kelly, R. Flower and M. S. Williams (edd.), Unclassical Traditions. Volume I: Alternatives to the Classical Past in Late Antiquity, 28-43 (Cambridge: Cambridge Philological Society, 2010).

- 'Genealogies of unbelief: Epiphanius of Salamis and heresiological authority' in C. Kelly, R. Flower and M. S. Williams (edd.), Unclassical Traditions. Volume II: Perspectives from East and West in Late Antiquity, 70-87, (Cambridge: Cambridge Philological Society, 2011).

Book Reviews for the Following Journals/Websites

Journal of Roman Studies; Classical Review; Journal of Ecclesiastical History; Bryn Mawr Classical Review.