Urban Life And Culture 237
shine, lest within such beautiful walls there might appear an ugly ruin of
rocks. Indeed in other cities less beauty can be supported; in this one
nothing should appear ordinary, since it is praised beyond others by the
world’s mouth.Letters in the Variae state that Theoderic ordered numerous construction
works for the walls, sewers, palace, Curia, Theatre of Pompey, aqueducts, and
granaries.16 In many if not most of the cases, what is being done is not new
construction but repair.17 Another city that is mentioned several times in the
Variae is Theoderic’s capital, Ravenna, where in contrast to most of the other
cities, the focus seems to have been on new construction as well as repairs, “so
that our desire for the adornment of that city may be gratified”.18 The Variae
also contain several other references to Theoderic’s support for the structures
of Roman civic life in the cities of Arles, Abano, Catania, Spoleto, and Parma—
we will examine the specific details below.19
There are many references in the Variae to ruins within cities. For example,
three letters from the Variae order individuals or groups to send fine building
materials to Ravenna: from Aestuna, from the Pincian Hill in Rome, and from
Faenza Theoderic requests old marble and columns that are lying around.20
Others permit the use of building materials from ruins to be used by city gov-
ernments or by individuals.21 There are also several letters that confer some
ruined public building on a private citizen;22 the rationale is explained in a
formula for this act, which states:23
16 Variae 1.21, 25, 3.29–31, 4.30, 51, 5.9, 7.7, 15. For bibliography, see Johnson, “Toward a
History”, p. 77 n. 44.
17 E.g. Variae 1.25. See especially on the topic of repair, La Rocca, “Cassiodoro, Teodato”,
pp. 1–7.
18 Variae 5.8. See La Rocca, “Una prudente maschera ‘Antiqua’ ”, pp. 480–4.
19 Johnson, “Toward a History”, p. 77; Variae 2.39 (Abano), 3.44 (Arles), 49 (Catania), 4.24
(Spoleto), 8.29–30 (Parma).
20 Variae 3.9 and 10, and 5.8.
21 E.g. Variae 3.49 (permits citizens to repair the city walls with stones from the ruined
amphitheatre), and 4.24 (permits a deacon to pull down a ruined portico and use the
materials for new building). See Bavant, “Cadre de vie”, pp. 478–87.
22 Variae 3.29 (granaries at Rome) and 4.30 (property near the Forum); see Arnold, Theoderic,
pp. 227–8.
23 Variae 7.44: “Nescio quid grande de se videtur promittere, qui loca desiderat publica pos-
sidere. hoc enim ita fieri decet, si res squalida in meliorem loci faciem transferatur et
revocetur ad ornatum quod pridem iacere videbatur incultum... age itaque ut per te