Gratian’s Wives, Overwhelmed by the Usual Fate? The Case of Laeta Between Oblivion, Usurpation and Philanthropía

In a well-known passage by Zosimus (HN 5.39) what has remained completely ignored until now is the mention of Laeta, defined as Gratian’s philanthropic widow. There are few other mentions of the woman in the sources, however never defined through the φιλανθρωπία. Gratian’s first wife, Costantia, also has a historiographical destiny partially comparable to that of Laeta. The investigation that is presented does not want and cannot, due to lack of data, dwell on the reconstruction of the biography of the two women as an end in itself, on their protagonism in the dynastic system or on their political predominance within the court, but aspires to understand the reasons for their oblivion and, specifically, questions the reasons for the possible devaluation of Laeta in the historiographical tradition and in the tradition of subsequent studies. New interpretations of the passages and the identification of Laeta in Jerome’s Epistle 22 will be proposed.

Keywords: Laeta, Gratian, Zosimus, Philanthropía, Onorius, Teodosius, Justina.