L’élite mediterranea. I profughi di Cartagine nell’epistolario di Teodoreto

The capture of Carthage by the Vandals in 439 caused the outflow of a multitude of refugees, who were compelled to flee from there to various destinations in the Roman Empire. Among the epistles of Theodoretus (393-458), 13 are letters of recommendation written to search for support in favour of some of those refugees. Three letters concern fugitive African bishops, nine pertain to curials, and one to the daughter of a curial, who took refuge in the West. The contents of the letters overlook the dynamics of the events, about which they are very generic, but they are much more useful for the outline of the mentality of Theodoretus and his interlocutors. What was crucial in order to gain attention and financial support was the social class of the refugees, as they all belonged to the Mediterranean elite just like Theodoretus and the addressees of his epistles.