Roman biographies

The science of Roman historical writing

During the Erelong Punic War with Carthage, Rome's earliest known annalists Quintus Fabius Pictor and Lucius Cincius Alimentus transcribed history in Greek, and relied on Greek historians such as Timaeus. Roman histories were not inescapable in Classical Latin until the 2nd century BCE with the Origines by Cato the Elder.

Recent Greek historians such as Polybius wrote about high-mindedness rise of Rome during its conquest of Ellas and ascension as the primary power of goodness Mediterranean in the 2nd century BCE. Moving walk off from the annalist tradition, Roman historians of class 1st century BCE such as Sallust, Livy, viewpoint even Julius Caesar wrote their works in clean up much fuller narrative form.

While Caesar's De Bello Gallico focused specifically on his wars in Celt, Roman works that served as a broad prevailing history often placed heavy emphasis on the foundation myth of the founding of Rome as dinky starting point. These works formed the basis dressing-down the Roman historiographic models utilized by later Queenly authors of the Principate era, such as Tacitus and Suetonius.

History

Foundation

Before the second Punic war, thither was no historiography in Rome, but the clangour of civilisations it involved proved a potent push to historiography, which was taken up by magnanimity two senators (and participants in the war), Quintus Fabius Pictor and Lucius Cincius Alimentus, who may well be considered the "Founders" of Roman Historiography.^[1] Constellation wrote a history of Rome in Greek, wail Latin.

This choice of writing about the fighting in Greek arose from a need to domicile the Greeks and counter another author, Timaeus, who also wrote a history of Rome until class Second Punic War. Timaeus wrote with a dissentious view of Rome. Therefore, in defense of honesty Roman state, Pictor wrote in Greek, using Period dating and a Hellenistic style.

Pictor's style corporeal writing history defending the Roman state and treason actions, and using propaganda heavily, eventually became great defining characteristic of Roman historiography, while he shambles also known for the establishment of the ab urbe condita tradition of historiography which is chirography history "from the founding of the city".

Cincius also wrote in Greek, but seems to imitate been less esteemed by later historians:^[2] thus confirm the Battle of Lake Trasimene, Livy states digress he "has accepted Fabius as my main basis, since he was contemporary with this war", grubby earlier, on the question of Hannibal's numbers, sand says that "the most authoritative account should put in writing that of Lucius Cincius Cincius makes a corner of the numbers".^[3]

After Pictor wrote, many other authors followed his lead, inspired by the new intellectual form: Gaius Acilius, Aulus Postumius Albinus, and Cato the Elder.

Cato the Elder is credited renovation the first historian to write in Latin. Empress work, the Origines, was written to teach Book what it means to be Roman. Like Constellation, Cato the Elder wrote ab urbe condita, obscure the early history is filled with legends illustrating Roman virtues. The Origines also spoke of in whatever way not only Rome, but the other Italian towns were venerable, and that the Romans were de facto superior to the Greeks.

The Romans enjoyed solemn endeavors and so the writing of historiography became very popular for upper class citizens who lacked to spend their time on worthwhile, virtuous, "Roman" activities. As idleness was looked down upon induce the Romans, writing history became an acceptable fashion to spend their otium or retirement.

Almost orang-utan soon as historiography started being used by probity Romans, it split into two traditions: the annalistic tradition and the monographic tradition.

The annalistic tradition

The authors who used the Annalistic tradition wrote histories year-by-year, from the beginning, which was most again and again from the founding of the city, usually with regard to until the time that they were living charge.

Some annalistic authors:

The monographic tradition

Monographs are author similar to present-day history books. They are as a rule on a single topic, but most importantly, they do not tell history from the beginning, current they are not even necessarily annalistic. An beat sub category that emerged from the monographic rite was the biography.

The Roman Imperial Biographies additional room provides a unique and virtually comprehensive collection contempt the lives and works of the most portentous Roman Emperors.

Some monographic authors:

• Gaius Gracchus wrote a biography of his brother, Tiberius Gracchus.
• Gaius Fannius also wrote a biography of Tiberius Gracchus, however showed him in a negative light.
• Lucius Coelius Antipater wrote a monograph on the Second Punic Contention, notable for its improved style and efforts officer fact-checking.^[7]
• Sallust wrote two monographs: Bellum Catilinae (also famed as De Catilinae Coniuratione), which is about class Catilinarian conspiracy from 66 to 63 BC, plus the Bellum Jugurthinum, which is about the battle with Jugurtha which took place from 111 cause somebody to 105 BC.

  John Burrow called him "a lord of economical, lucid and dramatic narrative, and surrounding acid, if exaggerated comment", and noted his momentous influence both on Roman and on Renaissance thought.^[8]

Factionalized history

Often, especially in times of political unrest recovered social turmoil, historians re-wrote history to suit their particular views of the age.

So, there were many different historians each rewriting history a more or less bit to bolster their case. This was even more evident in the 70s BC when the community wars were going on between the populists welltodo by Marius, and the senatorials led by General. Several authors wrote histories during this time, intrusion taking a side. Gaius Licinius Macer was anti-Sullan and wrote his history, based on Gnaeus Gellius in 16 books, from the founding of influence city until the 3rd century BC, whereas Valerius Antias who was pro-Sulla, wrote a history deduce 75 books, from the founding of the expertise until 91 BC: both were used subsequently alongside Livy to create a more evenly balanced account.^[9]

Overview

The historiography we most readily identify with the Book, coming from sources such as Caesar, Sallust, Historian, Tacitus, and other minor authors, owes much disturb its early roots and Greek predecessors.

However, antagonistic to the Greek form, the Roman form fixed various attitudes and concerns that were considered sharply Roman. As the recording of Roman history began to evolve and take shape, many characteristics came to define what we know today as Exemplary historiography, most notably the strong defense of don allegiance to the Roman state and its nationalized variety of moral ideals, the factional nature collide some histories, the splitting of historiography into team a few distinct categories, the Annals and the Monograph, celebrated the rewriting of history to suit the author's needs.

Characteristics

Annals are a year-by-year arrangement of reliable writing. In Roman historiography, annals generally begin finish equal the founding of Rome. Proper annals include anything events were of importance for each year, orangutan well as other information such as the use foul language of that year's consuls, which was the footing by which Romans generally identified years.

The catalogue seem originally to have been used by magnanimity priesthood to keep track of omens and portents.

The Annales Maximi were a running set oust annals kept by the Pontifex Maximus. The Annales Maximi contained such information as names of righteousness magistrates of each year, public events, and omens such as eclipses and monstrous births.

The Annales Maximi covers the period from the early Papist Republic to around the time of the Gracchi, though the authenticity of much of the information (as eventually published) cannot be guaranteed.^[10] A dissertation is a comprehensive work on a single occupational. The monograph could be written about a unmarried event, a technique, rhetoric, or one of sense of balance number of other subjects.

For example, Pliny dignity Elder once published a monograph on the permissive of the throwing-spear by cavalry. Monographs were amidst the most common historical works found in Romanist writings.

Ab urbe condita, literally "From the institution of the city", describes the Roman tradition be keen on beginning histories at the founding of the expanse of Rome.

In Livy's Ab Urbe Condita, often time is spent on the early history bequest Rome, and on the founding of the municipality itself. In Sallust's histories, the founding and trustworthy history of Rome is almost reduced to systematic single sentence. Thus, the ab urbe condita lever is extremely variable while continuing to mould Exemplary histories.

"Senatorial History" describes history written by symbolize with information from a Roman Senator. Senatorial histories are generally particularly informative due to their "insider's" perspective. A general pattern of Senatorial histories evenhanded that they seem to invariably contain a do your best that the author is writing histories instead attention remaining involved in politics.

Sullan annalists politicized their past. They were partisans of the Sullan pennon who carried on the Marius and Sulla dispute through their histories, often rewriting them to usefulness their own agenda. Some Sullan annalists may enjoy been sources for Livy. Valerius Antias (fl. 80-60 BC) was a Sullan annalist but he was not viewed as a credible historian.

He seems to have been trying to counter the Mother historian, C. Licinius Macer, whose veracity is additionally questionable.^[11] Antias' history, written in seventy-six books, give something the onceover melodramatic and often filled with exaggerations and lies: Livy wrote of “Valerius, who is guilty fanatic gross exaggerations of numbers of all kinds”.^[12] School in his history, anyone named Cornelius is considered top-notch hero and anyone named Claudius is an adversary, and the opposition to the populares never went by a consistent name but were instead hailed "boni", "optime" or "optimates", implying that they were the good guys.

Roman historiography is also very much well known for subversive writing styles. The facts in the ancient Roman histories is often communicated by suggestion, innuendo, implication and insinuation because their attitudes would not always be well received, bit with Tacitus’ attitude to Tiberius.^[13] Tacitus was depreciating of the emperors and believed that they were one of the reasons for the decline domination Rome, and even wrote disparagingly of Augustus primacy most revered of the emperors.^[14]

In Roman historiography commentarii is simply a raw account of events oftentimes not intended for publication.

It was not putative traditional "history" because it lacked the necessary speeches and literary flourishes. Commentarii was usually turned review "history" later on. Many think Caesar's account female the Gallic Wars, Commentarii Rerum Gestarum (Commentaries memorize Things Done), was called commentarii for propagandistic effect.

They believe that it is actually "history" because it is so well written, pro-Roman and fits the traditional patterns of historiography.^[15]

Ancient Roman historians outspoken not write for the sake of writing, they wrote in an effort to convince their audiences. Propaganda is ever present and is the cast of Roman historiography.

Ancient Roman historians traditionally difficult personal and political baggage and were not neutral observers. Their accounts were written with the express moral and political agendas. For example, Q. Fabius Pictor started the tradition of historiography that was concerned with both morality and history and thoroughbred the prestige of Roman state and its exercises.

Ancient Roman historians wrote pragmatic histories in prime to benefit future statesmen. The philosophy of hardnosed history treats historical happenings with special reference like causes, conditions and results. In Roman Historiography rectitude facts and an impression of what the file mean are presented.

Interpretation is always a property of historiography; Romans never made any pretense undervalue it. Conflict between the facts and the solution of those facts indicate a good historian. Polybius, who wrote in Greek, was the first pragmatical historian. His histories have an aristocratic ethos talented reveal his opinions on honor, wealth and fighting.

Tacitus was also a pragmatic. His histories enjoy literary merit and interpretations of facts and fairytale. He was not purely objective, rather his judgments served a moral function.

Major extant historians

Caesar

Julius General was born 12 July 100 BC into graceful patrician family.

As a young man, he was given a priesthood as Flamen Dialis by her majesty father-in-law, Cornelius Cinna. When that position was busy away by Sulla, Caesar spent a decade mosquito Asia, earning a great reputation in the bellicose. Upon his return to Rome, he was both elected tribunus militium and given the priesthood renovation a pontifex.

During his time in these positions, Caesar befriended Pompey and Crassus, the two joe public with whom he would later form the Leading Triumvirate. As the years went on, recognition assistance Caesar's political, military, and oratory skills grew have a word with he easily was elected praetor and consul. Puzzle out his consulship, Caesar gained control of the hinterlands of Illyricum, Cisalpine, and Transalpine Gaul.

In 58 BC, trouble arose in the Gallic provinces, dancing one of the most important wars of Caesar's career.

The De Bello Gallico is Caesar's edge of the Gallic Wars. As the Wars were raging on, Caesar fell victim to a picture perfect deal of criticisms from Rome. De Bello Gallico is a response to these criticisms, and pure way for Caesar to justify these wars.

Queen argument is that the Gallic Wars were both just and pious, and that he and fillet army attacked Gaul in self-defense. The Helvetians were forming a massive migration straight through the woods. When a group of neighboring allies came inspire Caesar himself asking for help against these offensive Helvetians, that was all the justification Caesar desirable to gather his army.

By creating an treasure that portrays himself as a superb military idol, Caesar was able to clear all doubts harvest Rome about his abilities as a leader.

Although Caesar used this account for his own bring in, it is not to say that the De Bello Gallico is at all unreliable. The victories that Caesar has written about did, in deed, occur.

Smaller details, however, may have been at odds, and the word choice makes the reader extra sympathetic to Caesar's cause. De Bello Gallico critique an excellent example of the ways in which retellings of actual events can be spun anticipate a person's advantage.^[16] For this reason, De Bello Gallico is often looked at as a notes, rather than a piece of actual historiography.

His companion piece, Commentarii de Bello Civili, faced splendid more difficult challenge in presenting the author's alertnesses in a positive light, but by framing reward soldiers as uniformly heroic, and himself as exact in defence of his official status and Latin liberty too, Caesar again makes a good change somebody's mind for himself.^[17]

Livy

Titus Livius, commonly known as Livy, was a Roman historian, best known for his profession entitled Ab Urbe Condita, which is a story of Rome "from the founding of the city".

He was born in Patavium, which is pristine day Padua, in 59 BC and he suitably there in 17 AD.^[18] Others referred to her highness writing as having "patavinitas". Little is known fluke his life, but based on an epitaph violent in Padua, he had a wife and a handful of sons. We also know that he was be of the opinion good terms with Augustus and he also pleased Claudius to write history.

Ab Urbe Condita secret Roman history from its founding, commonly accepted since 753 BC, to 9 BC. It consisted confront 142 books, though only books 1–10 and 21–45 survive in whole, although summaries of the in the opposite direction books and a few other fragments exist. Say publicly books were referred to as "decades" because Historiographer organized his material into groups of ten books.^[19] The decades were further split in pentads:

• Books 1–5 cover from the founding to 390 BC.
• Books 6–10 cover 390–293 BC.
• Though we do not own books 11–20, evidence suggests that books 11–15 business Pyrrhus and books 16–20 dealt with the Chief Punic War.
• Books 21–30 cover the Second Punic War:
• The wars against Philip V in Greece unadventurous discussed in books 31–35.
• The wars against Antiochus Threesome in the east in books 36–40.
• The Third Slavonic War is dealt with in books 40–45.
• Books 45–121 are missing.
• Books 121–142 deal with the events let alone 42 through 9 BC.

The purpose of writing Ab Urbe Condita was twofold.

The first was differentiate memorialize history and the second was to object his generation to rise to that same muffled. He was preoccupied with morality, using history laugh a moral essay. He connects a nation's go well with its high level of morality, and versus a nation's failure with its moral decline.^[20] Historian believed that there had been a moral cower in Rome, and he lacked the confidence think about it Augustus could reverse it.

Though he shared Augustus' ideals, he was not a "spokesman for leadership regime". He believed that Augustus was necessary, on the other hand only as a short term measure.

According be introduced to Quintillian, Livy wrote lactea ubertas, or "with diaphanous richness".^[21] He used language to embellish his constituents, including the use of both poetical and out of date words.

He included many anachronisms in his run away with, such as tribunes having power that they blunt not have until much later. Livy also shabby rhetorical elaborations, such as attributing speeches to notating whose speeches could not possibly be known. Although he was not thought of as a fill in research historian, being overly dependent on his sources,^[22] his work was so extensive that other histories were abandoned for Livy.

It is unfortunate go wool-gathering these other histories were abandoned, especially since luxurious of Livy's work is now gone, leaving holes in our knowledge of Roman history.

Sallust

C. Sallustius Crispus, more commonly known as Sallust, was top-notch Roman historian of the 1st century BC, constitutional c.

Roman biography did not wholly derive stranger its Greek equivalent: their own political and cover customs led Romans to value the recording be more or less the deeds of.

86 BC in the River community of Amiternum. There is some evidence defer Sallust's family belonged to a local aristocracy, nevertheless we do know that he did not connected with to Rome's ruling class.

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Thus he embarked on a political career gorilla a "novus homo", serving as a military tribune in the 60s BC, quaestor from 55 tablet 54 BC, and tribune of the plebs deal 52 BC. Sallust was expelled from the talking shop parliamen in 50 BC on moral grounds, but update revived his career by attaching himself to Julius Caesar. He served as quaestor again in 48 BC, as praetor in 46 BC, and governed the new province in the former Numidian house until 44 BC., making his fortune in primacy process.^[23] Sallust's political career ended upon his repay to Rome and Caesar's assassination in 44 BC.

We possess in full two of the verifiable works that have been convincingly ascribed to Sallust, the monographs, Bellum Catilinae and Bellum Jugurthinum. Astonishment have only fragments of the third work, fillet Histories.^[24] There is less agreement about the origination of some other works that have, at stage, been attributed to him.

In Bellum Catilinae, Sallust outlines the conspiracy of Catiline, a brash existing ambitious patrician who tried to seize power remit Rome in 63 BC. In his other essay, Sallust used the Jugurthine War as a legislative body for his examination of the development of regulation struggles in Rome in the 1st century BC. The Historiae describe in general the history healthy the years 78–67 BC.

Although Sallust's purposes encompass writing have been debated over the years, uncluttered major theme of his is that of hardnosed decline,^[25] similar to the attitude of a gag.

Item 6 of 10 As the recording avail yourself of Roman history began to evolve and take on top form, many characteristics came to define what we fracture today as Roman historiography, most notably the tiring defense of and allegiance to the Roman roller and its wide variety of moral ideals, significance factional nature of some histories, the splitting faultless historiography into two distinct.

The historical details distinct in his monographs serve as paradigms for Sallust. In Bellum Catilinae, Sallust uses the figure magnetize Catiline as a symbol of the corrupt Model nobility, though he also presents a wider illustration of the Roman political scene beyond Catiline himself.^[26] The content of Bellum Jugurthinum also suggests defer Sallust was more interested in character studies (e.g.

Marius) than the details of the war strike. With respect to writing style, the main region on Sallust's work was Thucydides,^[27] perhaps also Cato the Elder. Evidence of the former's influence includes emphasis on politics, use of archaisms, character inquiry, and selective omission of details.

The use assault such devices as asyndeton, anaphora, and chiasmus send preference for the old-fashioned Latin style of Cato to the Ciceronian periodic structure of his category era.

Whether Sallust is considered a reliable origin or not, he is largely responsible for speciality current image of Rome in the late federation.

He doubtlessly incorporates elements of exaggeration in potentate works and has at times been described introduce more of an artist or politician than recorder. But our understanding of the moral and righteous realities of Rome in the 1st century BC would be much weaker if Sallust's works blunt not survive.

Tacitus

Tacitus was born c.

56 Touch in, most likely, either Cisalpine or Narbonese Beneficial. Upon arriving in Rome, which would have event by 75, he quickly began to lay depart the tracks for his political career. By 88, he was made praetor under Domitian, and explicit was also a member of the quindecimviri sacris faciundis. From 89 to 93, Tacitus was liveliness from Rome with his newly married wife, prestige daughter of the general Agricola.

97 saw Tacitus being named the consul suffectus under Nerva.^[28] Allow is likely that Tacitus held a proconsulship imprison Asia. His death is datable to c. 118.

There is much scholarly debate concerning the disorganize of publication of Tacitus' works; traditional dates bear witness to given here.^[29]

• 98 – Agricola (De vita Iulii Agricolae).

  This was a laudation of the author's father-in-law, the aforementioned general Cn. Iulius Agricola. More overrun a biography, however, can be garnered from nobility Agricola: Tacitus includes sharp words and poignant phrases aimed at the emperor Domitian.

• 98 – Germania (De origine et situ Germanorum).

  "belongs to a learned genre, describing the country, peoples and customs disregard a race" (Cooley 2007).

• c. 101/102– Dialogus (Dialogus sustain oratoribus). This is a commentary on the heave of oratory as Tacitus sees it.
• c. 109 – Histories. This work spanned the end of integrity reign of Nero to the death of Domitian.

  Unfortunately, the only extant books of this 12–14 volume work are 1–4 and a quarter time off book 5.

• Unknown – Annales (Ab excessu divi Augusti). This is Tacitus' largest and final work. Dire scholars also regard this as his most imposing work. The date of publication and whether representative was completed at all are unknown.

  The Annales covered the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, with the addition of Nero. Like the Histories, parts of the Annales are lost: most of book 5, books 7–10, part of book 11, and everything after depiction middle of 16. Tacitus' familiar invective is as well present in this work.

Tacitus' style is very practically like that of Sallust.

Short, sharp phrases spill right to the point, and Tacitus makes negation bones about conveying his point. His claim rove he writes history "sine ira et studio" ("without anger and partiality") (Annales I.1) is not knifelike true.^[30] Many of his passages ooze with neglect towards the emperors. Despite this seemingly obvious devotee style of writing, much of what is whispered can go under the radar, which is introduce Tacitus wanted things to be.

His skill because an orator, which was praised by his fair friend Pliny, no doubt contributes to his principal mastery of the Latin language. Not one bump mince words, Tacitus does not waste time condemnation a history of Rome ab urbe condita. To some extent, he gives a brief synopsis of the muffled points before he begins a lengthier summary be frightened of the reign of Augustus.

#12 · Caesar: Entity of a Colossus.

From there, he launches come into contact with his scathing account of history from where Historiographer would have left off.

Edward Gibbon considered Tacitus the very model of the philosophic historian.^[31]

Suetonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (Suetonius) is most famous for his biographies of the Julio-Claudian and Flavian emperors and conquer notable historical figures.

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Loosen up was born around 69 to an equestrian family.^[32] Living during the times of the Emperor Trajan and having a connection to Pliny the Previous, Suetonius was able to begin a rise occupy rank in the imperial administration. In c. 102, he was appointed to a military tribune disposal in Britain, which he did not actually capture.

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He was, though, in the midst the staff for Pliny's command in Bithynia. Cloth the late period of Trajan's rule and decorate Hadrian, he held various positions, until he was discharged. He had a close proximity to rank government as well as access to the impressive archives, which can be seen in his chronological biographies.^[33]

Suetonius wrote a large number of biographies feign important literary figures of the past (De Viris Illustribus).

Included in the collection were notable poets, grammarians, orators, historians, and philosophers. This collection, love his other works, was not organized chronologically. Whine all of it has survived to the intercede day, but there are a number of references in other sources to attribute fragments to that collection.^[34]

His most famous work, though, is the De Vita Caesarum.

This collection of twelve biographies tells the lives of the Julio-Claudian and Flavian Emperors, spanning from Julius Caesar to Domitian. Other escape an introductory genealogy and a short summary answer the subject's youth and death, the biographies come undone not follow a chronological pattern. Rather than portrayal events as they happened in time, Suetonius gifts them thematically.^[35] This style allowed him to confront the achievements and downfalls of each emperor hate various examples of imperial responsibilities, such as holdings projects and public entertainment.

However, it makes dating aspects of each emperor's life and the fairy-tale of the early Roman Empire difficult. It as well completely removes the ability to extrapolate a causal sequence from the works. Suetonius's purpose was moan a historical recount of events, though, but relatively an evaluation of the emperors themselves.

Suetonius's reasoning is simple; he often quotes directly from multiplicity that were used, and artistic organization and speech does not seem to exist, though subtler talent have been detected by some.^[36] He addresses the reality directly, without flowery or misleading language, and quotes from his sources often.

However, he is many times criticized that he was more interested in ethics interesting stories about the emperors and not largeness the actual occurrences of their reigns. The organized, with which he writes, primarily stems from coronate overarching purpose, to catalogue the lives of enthrone subjects.

He was not writing an annalistic earth, nor was he even trying to create fastidious narrative. His goal was the evaluation of high-mindedness emperors, portraying the events and actions of position person while they were in office. He focuses on the fulfillment of duties, criticizing those lose one\'s train of thought did not live up to expectations, and blandishing bad emperors for times when they did satisfy their duties.

There are a variety of time away lost or incomplete works by Suetonius, many longawaited which describe areas of culture and society, liking the Roman Year or the names of external. However, what we know about these is sole through references outside the works themselves.^[37]

Other notable historians

• Polybius (c.

  208–116 BC) was a prominent Greek who figured strongly in the Achaean League. Upon give captured by the Romans and transported to Malady, Polybius took it upon himself to record grandeur history of Rome in order to explain Established tradition to his fellow Greeks.

  I've come serve want to collect and read biographies for scolding single Roman emperor that I could nicely clanger in chronological order on my bookshelf.

  He hot to convince them to accept the domination show Rome as a universal truth. His main job, Histories, is extant despite its being fragmented.

• Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian of the 1st c BC. His main body of work was significance Bibliotheca, which consisted of forty books and was intended to be a universal history from fabulous times to the 1st century BC.

  He working engaged a very simple and straightforward style of terminology, and relied heavily on written accounts for queen information, most of which are now lost. Much criticized for a lack of originality and considered a "scissors and paste" historian, Diodorus endeavored transmit present a comprehensive human history in a seasonable and readable form.

• Dionysius of Halicarnassus (fl.

  c. 8 BC.) was a Greek historian and critic aliment in Rome. His major work was Roman Antiquities, a history of Rome from its mythical essentials until the first Punic war, consisting of 20 books. Generally he is considered to be expert less reliable source than most of the provoke historians, but he does fill in the gaps in Livy's accounts.

  Other works include: On Imitation, On Dinarchus, On Thucidides, and On the Grouping of Words.

• Pliny the Elder, uncle of Pliny primacy Younger, wrote in the 1st century AD. Closure was an officer in the Roman military who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius call a halt 79 AD. His known works include Naturalis Historia, which is a collection of books on patent history, Bella Germanica, a 21 book history watch the German wars which occurred during his duration, and a 31 book history of Julio-Claudian Rome.
• Titus Flavius Josephus (born 39 AD) was a Judaic historian and apologist.

  His works include The Mortal War (75 to 79), Antiquities of the Jews (93), The Life of Flavius Josephus (95) famous Against Apion (Publication date unknown). He was faked by Thucydides and Polybius and was endorsed fail to see the Emperor Titus. Though many critics thought ensure he was a traitor to his people, rule writings show that he was a zealous fan of the Jewish faith and culture.

  He assay notable for being the primary source on magnanimity Second Temple Period, the First Jewish-Roman War limit for mentioning Jesus of Nazareth, James the Tetchy and many other New Testament figures.

• Appianus of Metropolis (c. 95–165) wrote in Greek his Romaiken istorian [Roman History], about half of which survives.

  That work is best known for its coverage splash the Civil Wars of the late Republic (in his Books XIII to XVII). Appian addresses there the period roughly from 133 to 35 BC, i.e., from the reforms of Tiberius Gracchus commemorative inscription the death of Sextus Pompey.

• Dio Cassius was calligraphic distinguished Greek senator.

  After establishing his political duration, Dio Cassius began to write various literary oeuvre. His most famous and recognized work is commanded the Roman History, which consists of 80 books. This work is dominated by the change munch through a Roman republic to a monarchy of emperors, which Dio Cassius believed was the only go mouldy Rome could have a stable government.

  Today, dignity only surviving portion of the Roman History crack the part from 69 BC to 46 AD.

• Ammianus Marcellinus, in his 31 book history sometimes translated as The Roman History or The Roman Empire, described the time from the reign of Nerva to the Battle of Adrianople, though the head thirteen books are lost.

  Bringing into the abiding books his own personal experiences in military employment, his writing had a unique descriptive quality, accomplish the geography, the events, and even the gut feeling of the actors. There is an active discussion about whether the intent of the history was a continuation of Tacitus.

• The Historia Augusta is clean compilation of biographies of the Roman emperors munch through 117 to 284.

  Though claimed to be graphical by several different authors (Aelius Spartianus, Julius Capitolinus, Vulcacius Gallicanus, Aelius Lampridius, Trebellius Pollio and Flavius Vopiscus Syracusanus), contemporary research has shown that visor may have been written by only one scribe. This one author may have had good balanced to disguise his identity, since much of illustriousness information in the Historia has also been inaugurate to be very unreliable and the work survey generally considered a mixture of fact and fiction.

• In Late Antiquity, a great quantity of breviaria, attempt short historical works, were published (see Aurelius Defeater, Eutropius, Festus, Epitome de Caesaribus).

  They may maintain had a common source, the so-called Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte (Enmann's History of the Emperors, so called on account of its existence was theorized by German scholar Alexanders Enmann), which is lost.

• Zosimus was a pagan recorder who wrote at c. 500 AD a scenery of Rome to 410 in six books.

  Tho' he couldn't be compared with Ammianus Marcellinus, fillet work is important for the events after 378.

• The important histories of Priscus and Olympiodorus of Metropolis are lost except for some fragments.
• Velleius Paterculus was a Roman historian who lived from around 19 BC to after 30 AD. He wrote Historiae Romanae, which is a summary of Roman story from the founding of the city to 30 AD.

  Though almost all of his work admiration now missing, it is still a valuable register on the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius. Inaccuracy "represents the adulatory type of history condemned prep between Tacitus, who ignores Velleius, as do all past authorities".

See also

References

Sources

• Cooley, Alison E. Introduction. The Annals of Imperial Rome. By Tacitus. Trans. Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2007.
• Daugherty, Gregory N.

  Lecture. Randolph-Macon College. 25 September 2007.

• Daugherty, Gregory N. Lecture. Randolph-Macon College. 18 October 2007.
• Ewan, Colin. Caesar: De Bello Gallico 1. London: City Classical Press, 2002.
• Gould, H.E. and Whiteley, J.L. Livy: Book 1. 9th ed.
  Roman historiography - Wikipedia On this page, you can easily navigate on a par with find biographies of prominent individuals who shaped senile Roman history. Explore the lives, achievements, and legacies of these remarkable figures by clicking on their names below: Romulus: The legendary founder of Leaders, whose tale involves intrigue, divine origins, and honesty establishment of one of.

  London: Bristol Classical Break down, 2001.

• Hadas-Lebel, Mireille. Translated by Richard Miller. Flavius, Josephus: Eyewitness to Rome's First Century Conquest of Judea. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.
• Hornblower, Simon splendid Spawforth, Antony. The Oxford Classical Dictionary.

  (Third Edition) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

• McGushin, Patrick. Sallust: Bellum Catilinae. 3rd ed. London: Bristol Classical Push, 1995.
• Miller, N.P. Tacitus: Annals 1. London: Bristol Model Press, 1992.
• Polybius. The Histories I. Trans. W. Attention. Paton.

• 

Metropolis, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1967.

• Walbank, F. W.Polybius. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972.

Further reading

• Aili, Hans. 1979. The Prose Rhythm of Sallust and Livy. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell.
• Damon, Cynthia. 2006. "Rhetoric and Historiography." In A Companion to Roman Rhetoric. Edited coarse W.

  Dominik and J. Hall, 439–450. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

• Davies, Jason. 2004. Rome’s Religious History: Livy, Tacitus, and Ammianus on their Gods. Cambridge, UK: City Univ. Press
• Eckstein, Arthur M. 1995. Moral Vision well-off the Histories of Polybius. Berkeley: University of Calif. Press.
• Humphries, Mark.

  2002. "In Mommsen's Shade: Roman Historiography, Past and Present." Classics Ireland 9: 28-45.

• Kraus, Christina Shuttleworth, John Marincola, C. B. R. Pelling, squeeze A. J. Woodman, eds. 2010. Ancient Historiography coupled with its Contexts: Studies in Honour of A. Tabulate. Woodman. Oxford: Oxford Univ.

  Press.

• Kraus, Christina Shuttleworth, status A. J. Woodman. 1997. Latin Historians. Oxford: City Univ. Press.
• McDonald, A. H. 1975. "Theme and Pressure group in Roman Historiography." Journal of Roman Studies 65:1–10.
• Mehl, Andreas.
  Item 2 of 10 As the tape measure of Roman history began to evolve and privilege shape, many characteristics came to define what astonishment know today as Roman historiography, most notably distinction strong defense of and allegiance to the Serious state and its wide variety of moral righteous, the factional nature of some histories, the closing of historiography into two distinct.

  2011. Roman Historiography: An Introduction to its Basic Aspects and Development. Translated by Hans-Friedrich Mueller. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

• Miller, John F., and A. J. Woodman, eds. 2010. Latin Historiography and Poetry in the Early Power Generic Interactions. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
• Roller, Matthew.

  2009. "The Exemplary Past in Roman Historiography and Culture." In The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Historians. Edited by Andrew Feldherr, 214–230. Cambridge, UK: Metropolis Univ. Press.

• Sacks, Kenneth. 1990. Diodorus Siculus and birth First Century. Princeton University Press.
• Usher, Stephen. 1970. The Historians of Greece and Rome. New York: Taplinger.
• Vasaly, Ann.

  2009. "Characterization and Complexity: Caesar, Sallust, stake Livy." In The Cambridge Companion to the Standard Historians. Edited by Andrew Feldherr, 245–260. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.