Roman Africa: The Vanier Lectures, 1980

Andrew E. West was a librarian at St. Michael's College, University of Toronto.

This book is a collection of five papers originally read at the Vanier Conference/Conférence Vanier at the University of Ottawa in 1980. The general subject is Roman Africa. The editor, C.M. Wells, wrote the Preface and also contributed the last paper, “L’Afrique a la veille des invasions arabes.” Three of the papers are in French, the one by Wells and those written by Marcel Bénabou of the University of Paris and Michel Janon of the Centre Camille Jullien, University of Provence. Bénabou’s paper is entitled “Les survivances préromaines en Afrique romaine”; Janon’s is “Paysans et soldats.” The two papers read in English are “Fear and Loathing: The Nomad Menace and Roman Africa,” by Brent D. Shaw of the University of Lethbridge, and “Aspects of the Background of the City of God,” by T.D. Barnes of the University of Toronto.

These essays are highly specialised and academic and as such would be suitable for a university library. Bibliographical footnotes are included with each paper.