Abstract

Gratian is not an emperor who usually attracts attention in his own right, but more often lurks in the shadows cast by his more distinguished contemporaries, notably Theodosius I and Ambrose of Milan. The topic of his religious policy, however, is important. He was the first emperor over whom Ambrose sought to wield influence. Moreover, by his rejection of the title pontifex maximus and his removal of the altar of Victory from the senatorial curia in Rome, he signalled an important change in the attitudes of Christian emperors towards paganism.