And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week. [122] Emperors routinely commemorated their victories over the barbarian tribes on inscriptions and coins. On the other hand, as a Greek by birth he was less focused on Rome than Tacitus has been and paints on a far wider canvas, suggesting that his geographical, ethnological and sometime scientific digressions may have been more than literary license. Church hierarchy followed the patterns of state administration: the bishops of the provincial capitals, known as metropolitan bishops, became the superior of other bishops in the province. [6] He was sent to serve under Ursicinus, governor of Nisibis in Mesopotamia, and magister militiae. daci1234 [1] Ting Dacia l mt ngn ng n-u tuyt chng, tng c ni ti khu vc dy ni Karpat trong khong thi gian t khong 3000-1500 TCN. The ascetic Jerome was the spiritual instructor of a circle of wealthy Roman women, including Paula and her daughter Blaesilla. He returned to Italy with Ursicinus, when he was recalled by Constantius, and accompanied him on the expedition against Silvanus the Frank, who had been forced by the allegedly unjust accusations of his enemies into proclaiming himself emperor in Gaul. [72] Maximus forced Valentinian to flee from Italy to Thessaloniki in summer 387. According to modern estimations, the Roman army was of 400,000600,000strong in the mid-4thcentury. Galerius recognized Constantine as the new Caesar in return for Constantine's consent to the appointment of Valerius as Augustus in the west. Likewise only fragments are known from the works of Ammianus' continuator, Sulpicius Alexander. *Estimated delivery dates - opens in a new window or tab include seller's handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. This page was last edited on 17 May 2021, at 15:34. Unilateral divorce was limited to cases of serious crimes, like poisoning, committed by husband or wife. After Justinian forbade their religious practices, tens of thousands of Samaritans fled to the Sassanian Empire. The Christians were outlawed for their alleged opposition to traditional Roman values, but they were only sporadically persecuted. The later Roman Empire (A.D. 354-378). Most soldiers were conscripts and sons of veterans were expected to serve in the army. The Later Roman Empire (AD 354-378) This book is the Penguin Classics translation of the Res Gestae by Ammianus Marcellinus, the most important primary source for the fourth century in the Roman Empire. This is where youll see your current point status and your earned rewards. After their triumph, relationship between Constantine and Licinius became strained. Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus (mns mrslns), c.330-c.400, Roman historian, b. Antioch. Maxentius rejected their agreement. Comments: In the context of troubles in the East of the Roman empire in the mid-fourth century reigns of Constantius and Gallus, Ammianus Marcellinus provides an aside on the Saracens of Arabia who were, in his view, making regular, bandit-like . Examples include the Life of Macrina about a wealthy and pious aristocrat Macrina the Younger. Get help and learn more about the design. [48][50] Constantine and Licinius quickly concluded an allience against Maxentius whose realm separated their territories. Jordanes (fl.c.550 CE): History of the Goths Chap. The local deities were associated with the gods of the Roman pantheon, but elements of the local cults survived. Ammianus Marcellinus: The Later Roman Empire T.D . [162] Constantine treated the bishops as imperial officials. Although seven years later Ulfilas was banned from the Gothic territory, Gothic converts continued his mission. Tax avoidance through receiving the holy orders was common and Constantine had to limit the number of clergymen to curb it. Theodosius appointed the Alan general Ardabur and Ardabur's son Aspar to lead troops against John, while John sent a junior court officer Flavius Aetius to the Huns to recruit mercenaries. ISBN -415-20271-X 1. [89] After realizing that the central government could no more control Britain, Honorius "sent letters to the cities of Britain, urging them to fend for themselves". [13] The last outstanding Roman historian, Procopius completed detailed accounts of Emperor JustinianI's rule. Ammianus Marcellinus (occasionally anglicised as Ammian [1] [2]) (born c. 330, died c. 391 - 400) was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius ). [146] TheodosiusI's opponent Eugenius promised to restore sacrifices to secure the support of the remnants of pagan aristocracy. [135] Cases of religious syncretism are well documented. Roman citizens could approach the emperor directly for seeking his opinion on specific points of law. The praetorian prefects were the highest-ranking military, financial and judicial officials, and the appointment of the vicarii eased their administrative burdens. In early 340, he attacked Constans to seize Italy, but died in an encounter and Constans took control of his territory. The later Roman Empire (A.D. 354-378) by Ammianus Marcellinus First published in 1986 1 edition in 1 language 1 previewable Valens sought military assistance from Gratian but engaged the Goths and their allies at Adrianople without waiting for the arrival of western reinforcements. It makes a valuable contribution to the field of late antique studies and of Ammianus in particular by focusing on the literary aspects of the historian's text. [166] Anxious about church unity, Constantine summoned the bishops to the first ecumenical council to Nicaea in May 325. Ammianus Marcellinus was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. Some maintain that his style is harsh, often pompous and extremely obscure, occasionally even journalistic in tone, due the author's foreign origin and his military life and training. Zeitkritik und Geschichtsbild in Werk Ammianus. 395 CE, a Greek of Antioch, joined the army when still young and served under the governor Ursicinus and the emperor of the East Constantius II, and later under the emperor Julian, whom he admired and accompanied against the Alamanni and the Persians. Ammianus was born of a noble Greek family and served in the army of Constantius II in Gaul and Persia under the general Ursicinus, who was dismissed after he allowed the Persians to capture the city of . web pages The Later Roman Empire chronicles a period of twenty-five years during Marcellinus' own lifetime, covering the reigns of Constantius, Julian, Jovian, Valentinian I, and . [24] In 212, Emperor Caracalla granted full Roman citizenship to his all free subjects except for the dediticii, that is aliens who had been forced into submission or admitted to the empire. When Constantius died in Britain in 306, his troops proclaimed Constantine his successor. [168] On his death bed, Constantine received baptism from an Arian bishop, Eusebius of Nicomedia. He accompanied this emperor, for whom he expresses enthusiastic admiration, in his campaigns against the Alamanni and the Sassanids. domesticus in the Roman army from about 350 c.e. By the end of Constantine's rule, he was the head of the court secretariats and the scholae palatinae, or imperial guard. 395 CE, a Greek of Antioch, joined the army when still young and served under the governor Ursicinus and the emperor of the East Constantius II, and later under the emperor Julian, whom he admired and accompanied against the Alamanni and the Persians. Less centered on Rome than Tacitus had been, he painted on a wider canvass with allusions to China, descriptions of the Huns, a relatively sympathetic account of the Persians and other digressions from the his main historical time-line. For instance, the oracle at Claros spoke about the Highest God ruling over other deities, including the Twelve Olympians, in the 3rdcentury. By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. [139] His short reign could not stop the Christianization of the Roman Empire. He was not a professional man of letters but an army officer of Greek origin born at Antioch and contemporary with the events described in what remains of his work. andrea@archive.org His "New Rome" was consecrated as Constantinople on 11May 330. Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian and his work the "Res Gestae", known in English as "The Later Roman Empire", is one of the most important historical accounts to have survived from ancient Rome. [117] After abolishing the senators' obligation to reside in Rome and attend the meetings of the Senate, Constantine could grant senatorial rank generously. He may have feared sanctions, since in writing about the period that followed he had to chronicle the story of bloody deeds.[7] He appears to have lived again in Antioch (363 to 378). Table of Contents. [112], After the Christianization of the empire the Senatus no more rewarded deceased emperors with a divine status, but the emperors were regarded as God's representatives on Earth. Ammianus Marcellinus, ca. Ancient authors: Ammianus Marcellinus (late fourth century CE), Roman Antiquities / Res Gestae 14.2 (link to Latin text and full translation). Although their agreement was not formally enacted, it is now known inaccuratelly as the Edict of Milan. Official tolerance contributed to the spread of their faith, and their communities can be detected in most cities by the end of the century. He death has been dated as between 391 and 395. . Ascetics of aristocratic background could cede their own houses and estates to monastic communities, like Melania the Younger who convinced her husband Valerius Pinianus to establish a monastery in the Holy Land. Early in 383 he proclaimed his six-year-old elder son Arcadius his co-emperor. E. A. Thompson says that the reliability of Annianus narrative is confirmed both by its internal consistency and by comparison with the very sparse notices of other Greek and Roman historians who wrote about this period. [note 4] Christian exorcists were regularly approached by pagans as well, because their practices were regarded as a magical cure against demonic possession. He referred to Rome and Persia as two lighthouses illuminating the world and depicts Constantius and Shapur as addressing each other like brothers, parting company from those for whom the Persians were just another tribe of barbarians. Gavin Kelly's Ammianus Marcellinus: The Allusive Historian is a thought-provoking and original study of a key fourth-century author. He originally intended to end with the twenty-fifth, which concludes with Julians death in 363. In this magisterial depiction of the closing decades of the Roman Empire, we can see the seeds of events that were to lead to the fall of the city, just twenty years after Marcellinus death.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. They divided Armenia. [15] Ammianus was aware that writing about contemporary, including events to which he was a witness, raised questions about impartiality. He set himself the task of continuing the histories of Tacitus from A.D. 96 down to his own day. [182] Emperor Julian authorized the Jews to rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem, allegedly to refute Christ's prophecy on the Temple and to demonstrate the common features of pagan and Jewish sacrifices. Reportedly, he sacrificed so many animals while making preparations for his Persian campaign that people worried about a shortage of cattle. They defeated Bonifatius who was the military commander of Roman Africa and captured Hippo Regius in Numidia. In late 406, masses of Vandals, Alans, Suebi and other peoples stormed into Western Roman territory across the Rhine. His edits ordered the destruction of Christian churches and literature and the confiscation of church property. [159], Christianity, as historian Peter Heather underlines, was "in some senses a democratizing and equalizing force". In concern with Galerius, he outlawed Christianity in 303, initiating the Christians' last systematic persecution in the empire. He was passionate about loyalty to the Emperor yet also criticized emperors. After imperial troops massacred 7,000 townspeople in Thessaloniki in retaliation for the murder of the Arian German commander of their garrison, Ambrose forced Theodosius to do public penance. Aug 05, 1986 [12], Other digressions include a detailed description of the 365 C.E. Get this from a library! [35] Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, after whom the plague is named, attributed the calamities to the "old age of the world", but the pagans blamed the Christians' reluctance to worship the ancient gods. Ammianus Marcellinus was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus by Ammianus Marcellinus. The persecution of Manichaeans started during Diocletian's reign primarily because of their association with Zoroastianism, although Manichaeism had been outlawed in the Sassanian Empire. It was closely associated with gladiator shows. His writings are an indispensable basis for our knowledge of the late Roman world Member of. After his death, the city's pagan prefect Quintus Aurelius Symmachus could not persuade ValentinianII to allow the restoration of the Altar of Victory in the Senate House. On his return to Italy, Sebastianus was deposed and Aetius was appointed as his successor. [14], As a whole, of Res Gestae has been considered extremely valuable, being a clear, comprehensive impartial account of events. He does refer to Sallust and allusion to Tacitus, Livy, and Herodotus can be identified in his text. Share to Facebook. [179], Ascetics like Pachomius and Anthony who settled in remote places in the Egyptian desert originated Christian monasticism in the late 3rdcentury. With Ursicinus he went twice to the East, and barely escaped with his life from Amida (modern Diyarbakr), when it was taken by the Sassanid king Shapur II. narrow margins, tight binding, half of second fold-out map is missing from physical book. p. xxiv. Ammianus Marcellinus (c. 330 - after 391) is the preeminent historian of the Late Roman Empire, whose extant work forms the most important narrative we possess on the Fourth Century A.D. Born of genteel extraction in a Greek-speaking part of the empire, Ammianus served in the army in campaigns ranging form Gaul to Persia before settling in Rome and beginning his literary carreer. The history, in 31 books, covered the years from A.D. 96 to 378; only Books XIV-XXXI, covering the . The Age of Attila : Fifth-Century Byzantium and the Barbarians. In 335, he made his nephew Dalmatius the fourth Caesar and awarded Dalmatius' half-brother Hannibalianus with the traditional Persian royal title "King of Kings". A Roman historian chronicles Rome on the brink of collapseAmmianus Marcellinus was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. On occasions, expeditionary forces developed into permanent detachments, like those dispatched to Africa, Britain and Isauria. Regarding themselves as the apostles' successors, the bishops of Rome, Alexandria and Antioch claimed the right to guide all Christians. [52], Constantine was not baptised until his last illness but Christian ethics influenced his legislation especially in cases when Christian values corroborated tendencies that had already existed in Roman law. Paperback, 9780140444063, 0140444068 Books 21, 22, 23, and 24 all cover Julians reign, including his campaign against the Persians. The more radical, mainly rular clergy believed that traditores should be rebaptized. The fourth century soldier Ammianus Marcellinus' book of Roman history provides a remarkably accurate and impartial record, giving readers a succinct understanding of the fall of the Roman Empire. [133] The regulated way of life of Egyptian priestly communities and their enthusiasm for scientific studies arrested the attention of some pagan philosophers from the 3rdcentury. One of their candidates to emperorship ConstantineIII consolidated his position and crossed the Channel into Gaul where he recruited new troops from among the invaders. Ammianus Marcellinus: The Later Roman Empire. of Constantius, Julian, Jovian, Valentinian I, and Valens, and providing eyewitness accounts of significant military events including the Battle of Strasbourg and the Goth's Revolt. [77] Anti-Gothic sentiments endured in Constantinople: Fravitta was executed and the Gothic military commanders were replaced by Armenians, Persians and Isaurians. [128], Imperial Roman society was highly hierarchical. [66] The army leaders proclaimed another Christian officer Valentinian I emperor after they reached Nicaea. Constantius died on his way to confront Julian and his supporters. Ammianus Marcellinus (born c. 330, died c. 391 - 400) was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius).His work, known as the Res Gestae, chronicled in Latin the history of Rome from the accession of the Emperor Nerva in 96 to the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378, although only the sections . [65], Julian's successor, a Christian military commander Jovian abandoned Roman territories in Mesopotamia and acknowledged Persian protectorate over Armenia in return for a thirty-year peace. The Later Roman Empire chronicles a period of twenty-five years during Marcellinus' own lifetime, covering the reigns of Constantius, Julian, Jovian, Valentinian I, and Valens, and providing eyewitness accounts of significant military events including the Battle of Strasbourg and . Version 1. His report describes accurately the characteristic sequence of earthquake, retreat of the sea and sudden giant wave. The new arrangement ignored the ambitions of Constantius' son Constantine and Maximian's son Maxentius. The Battle of Adrianople (378 AD) is considered one of the worst military defeats in all of Roman history. He spoke of leaving out what was trivial or not appropriate to history, so he was aware that a judgment has to be made here. Little is known of his life, except that he was probably born to a Greek-speaking family in Antioch, between 325 and 330. He and his closest disciplines were executed at Trier in 383. [144], Another widespread myth is that the successor of Theophilus, Cyril of Alexandria, ordered the murder of Hypatia, in reality Hypatia was assassinated not for religious reasons, but for political ones, as she belonged to one of the multi-confessional factions that disputed control of the city. Bonifatius defeated Aetius at Rimini in 432, but was mortally wounded during the battle. [84], Arcadius died in Constantinople on 1May 408 leaving his successor, the six-year-old Theodosius II under the guardianship of the praetorian prefect Anthemius. ConstantineI dissolved the praetorians and formalized the distinction between the border troops, or limitanei, and the field army troops, or comitatenses. As Valentinian was only four, Gratian became the sole ruler of their father's part of the empire. [186], A Mesopotamian prophet Mani combined the elements of Persian Zoroastrianism with Christianity in the mid-3rdcentury. They were organized into legions and auxiliary forces under the command of the provincial governors. [99] When Honorius died in August 423, his courtiers proclaimed one of their number John emperor, but Theodosius acknowledged Galla Placidia's six-year-old son by Constantius, Valentinian III as Honorius' lawful successor. In comparison with previous periods, studies on Later Roman history are based on diverse but mainly biased written sources. Books written by Socrates of Constantinople, Sozomen and Theodoret are the principal sources of ecclesiastic life until the mid-5thcentury. [119] The unofficial title comes had been used in reference to the emperors' companions, but Constantine formalized it as a new rank and honor, bestowing it particularly on those in his immediate service. [124], A late source with access to official records, John the Lydian asserts that during Diocletian's reign 389,704troops served in the field army and 45,562sailors in the navy. [150], Christians lived in peace for decades from the 260s. He almost certainly regarded history as a tool to help understand the past in order to shape the present and to influence the future. The reorganization of the army established a more flexible command structure and diminished the dependence of the frontier troops on the imperial field army in case of emergency. [114], The Roman Empire was divided into about 50provinces in the 260s. Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330 - after 391) was a fourth century Roman historian. [184][185] Judaism was never outlawed, but Christian converts to Judaism lost their property and Jews could not hold imperial offices. The Later Roman Empire chronicles a period of twenty-five years during Marcellinus' own lifetime, covering the reigns. Antioch at that time was one of the principal cities of the Roman Empire, orientis apex pulcher, 2 and Ammianus took just pride in its material prosperity. The Later Roman Empire spans the period from 284 AD (Diocletian's proclamation as emperor) to 641 (death of Heraclius) in the history of the Roman Empire. [42] The tetrarchs repelled pillaging raids by the neighboring tribes and launched offensive campaigns against them. [123], The making of strategic decisions was the emperor's monopoly, but in many cases he was far away from military emergency. Typically born into families of long military tradition, the "barracks emperors" were mainly extremely conservatives, but they did not hesitate to overturn traditional principles of state administration for practical considerations. Diocletian replaced the old system with a new hierarchy of imperial officials and made the senatorial rank available to all who held high offices in imperial administration. Book 25 describes Julians death in 363. This notion of equality was manifest at the relatively high level of informality in the imperial court. ]died 395, Rome [Italy]), last major Roman historian, whose work continued the history of the later Roman Empire to 378. The sole surviving manuscript from which almost every other is derived is a ninth century Carolingian text, V, produced in Fulda from an insular exemplar. "[35] Setting aside digressions and even lacunae in the text, Res Gestae remains a unique source of information on the history of the fourth century, especially European history. Next year Valentinian fell seriously ill and made his eight-year-old elder son Gratian his co-ruler in the west. Certainly, the Res Gestae, has suffered from the manuscript transmission. [74], On TheodosiusI's death the Roman Empire was divided between his two sons: the eighteen-year-old Arcadius succeeded him in the east and the ten-year-old Honorius in the west. Alexandria tsunami which devastated the metropolis and the shores of the eastern Mediterranean on 21 July of that year. Ammianus Marcellinus (b. c. 330d. A comprehensive study which introduces the reader to the vigour and variety of the fourth century AD. Porphyry of Tyre praised their piety, an Egyptian group using the name Hermes Trismegistus promoted the adoption of allegedly Egyptian priestly traditions, and Porphyry's pupil Iamblichus completed a coherent polytheist theological system under the Egyptian pseudonym, Abammon. Two months later Gratian was murdered by his own guards. TheodosiusI renewed their persecution, describing them as followers of a sect who meet in "nefarious retreats and wicked recesses". [79][80] Both migrations were probably triggered by the Huns' westward expansion. Both breakaway states were destroyed by Emperor Aurelian in the 270s. He died in prison in the Sassanian Empire, but his disciples spread his teaching and established Manichaean communities all over the Roman Empire. In a letter to the eastern provincials, he stated that "It is one thing to take on willingly the contest for immortality, quite another to enforce it with sanctions". His is the last major historical account of the late Roman Empire which survives today. EmperorsRomeHistory. Ammianus Marcellinus Soldier-Historian of the Late Roman Empire (Semple Lectures, University of Cincinnati, 1964), 22-26 offers a recent summary of the evidence. Ammianus was solidly prejudiced against the Persians, whom he considered the hereditary enemies of the Roman Empire. [18] In comparison with the classical age, Late Roman inscriptions are available in lesser quantity. He died fighting the Persians on 26June 363. [51] He reinforced his alliance with Licinius at a meeting in Milan in February 313. By the end of the 4thcentury, a highly centralized bureaucratic system, employing about 35,000officials, operated state affairs. The despaired Goths revolted and they were joined by Hunnic raiders. In retaliation for their attack on Christians during Easter, their temple was transformed into a Christian church. It is a major source of information on the Roman world of the fourth century and one of the few sources on Roman Britain during this period. Eusebius' Life of Constantine about the first Christian emperor is a useful collection of letters and official documents. . Summary. [160] According to Emperor Julian, Christianity owed its success primarily to the Christians' generous acts of charity, their special care for the dead and their attempt to live a virtuous life, because all these features were of particular importance for the impoverished masses of Roman society. Ammianus Marcellinus; Rolfe, John Carew, 1859-1943. ), Encyclopaedia Iranica I/9 . He subsequently settled in Rome, where he wrote in Latin a . The Christian God replaced the pagan gods in official documents and ceremonies, but few rich Christians renounced their wealth as Biblical stories proposed it. [34] Furthermore, the deadly pandemic now known as the Plague of Cyprian first hit the Mediterranean in 249. Under the rescript system, the legal question was raised on the top of a piece of papyrus, and it was answered by the emperor, or rather one of his legal advisors on the bottom half. [7], Most information about military and political history have been preserved in secular historians' works. [33] In his last six books, he is much more reluctant top discuss religion or to refer to pagan philosophers because under Theodosius I it was again Christianity that was officially sanctioned. The Later Roman Empire chronicles a period of twenty-five years during Marcellinus' own lifetime, covering the reigns of Constantius, Julian, Jovian, Valentinian I, and Valens, and providing eyewitness accounts of . While very aware that criticizing the Emperors could have repercussions, though a pagan, he expressed distaste for the excesses of Julian the Apostates anti-Christian measures, and mourned Romes moral decline. [36] The size of the Christian communities had significantly grown in large urban centers like Rome, Antioch, Alexandria and Carthage in the early 3rdcentury. N c l tng l ngn ng chnh ti cc vng Dacia, Moesia v ln cn. [15], The systematic collection of legal texts commenced in the Late Roman period. On the other hand, his broad and balanced insight into human characters, his concern for historical truthfulness and his knowledge of military strategy may out-class Tacitus. 7, 4, etc. He almost certainly regarded history as a tool to help understand the past in order to shape the present and to influence the future.