The volume under review grew out of a conference held in Konstanz in November 2008, but it differs somewhat from a conventional conference volume. Some papers delivered then have not been published here, while others not delivered in 2008 are included. The volume is dedicated to the memory of Denis Roques (1948–2010), who died shortly after submitting his long paper, which is effectively a monograph, on ‘Readers of Synesius' from the sixth century down to the present day (pp. 276–387). The earliest writer discussed by Roques is Marinus, who wrote a Life of the Neoplatonic philosopher Proclus, and his survey, which occupies more than one quarter of the text of the volume, will probably be more useful for its catalogue of later Greek and Byzantine authors who show knowledge of Synesius than for its conscientious listing of editors, translators, scholars and historians who have edited, translated and studied Synesius' writings since the Renaissance. The volume also contains sixteen much briefer papers, each with an abstract in both English and German. The first two have a historical emphasis and focus primarily on Cyrenaica and Constantinople: D. Kriekenbom provides an archaeological survey of Cyrene and Ptolemais in Synesius' lifetime (pp. 1–34), while L. M. Hoffmann considers Synesius' Lebenswelt (pp. 37–65). Much of these two chapters will be familiar to historians of late antiquity, but Hoffmann notes the relevance of scientific studies of climate in recent decades, which suggest that in the northern hemisphere the second half of the fourth century was ‘on the whole, dry and the drought reached its climax by the year 400’, after which ‘weather conditions gradually improved again’ (p. 63). If this claim is true, then it has an obvious relevance to the economic woes of Cyrene and Synesius' journey to Constantinople to request tax relief for his city. Most of the other fourteen papers deal with linguistic, literary, cultural, philosophical and intellectual aspects of Synesius' writings, but three analyse aspects of Synesius' Nachleben in greater detail and depth than Roques is able to do in his overall survey: F. Kolovou and D. R. Reinsch consider Synesius' influence on selected Middle Byzantine writers, while K. Smolak discusses ‘the hymns of Synesius and the Latin West’, first contrasting their different treatments of the Ascension of Christ, then examining the use of Latin translations of Synesius after they became available in the Renaissance. Although there is comparatively little on Synesius' letters, the papers in this volume, when considered together, provide a helpful introduction for those unfamiliar with his writings to this exceptionally difficult author.