Scholars investigating the political and religious history of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 5th century have devoted a considerable amount of attention to the Empress Athenais Aelia Eudocia, stressing the romanticized aspects of her marriage with the Emperor Theodosius II, her influence on his politics in the fields of religion and culture, or her role in the religious conflicts of the mid–5th century. On the other hand, her literary activity has not been appreciated very highly by the scholars, who charge it with being imitative. For a more independent view of the matter, it is worth taking a closer look at the literary work of the first known poet-empress.

The subject of this article is the poem (ekphrasis) which was found in the ruins of the Roman baths at Hammat Gader. The town is situated 8 km east of the Sea of Galilee, near the Yarmouk River. The baths in question were located in the southern section of the town, between the Roman theatre and the riverbank. In Roman times, Hammat Gader was a well-developed municipality, with a theatre, a synagogue, a church, a number of inns, paved streets, as well as a quarter with houses of wealthy citizens. The development was undoubtedly due to a great number of visitors from all the regions of the Empire coming to take advantage of the healing effects of the baths water.