Description
Book SynopsisAmmianus Marcellinus composed a history of the Roman empire from 96 AD to 378 AD, focusing on the mid-fourth century during which he served in the army. His experience as a soldier during this period provides crucial realia of warfare, while his knowledge of literature, especially the genre of historiography, enabled him to imbue his narrative with literary flair. This book explores the tension between Ammianus’ roles as soldier and author, examining how his military experience affected his history, and conversely how his knowledge of literature affected his descriptions of the Roman army.
Table of ContentsContents Historiography of Rome and Its Empire Series Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction Michael Hanaghan and David Woods Part 1: Ammianus’ Text 1 Why We Need a New Edition of Ammianus Marcellinus Gavin Kelly Part 2: Ammianus’ Military Experience 2 Ammianus and the Dignitas Protectoris Maxime Emion 3 Simplicitas Militaris: Ammianus Marcellinus and Sermo Castrensis Philip Rance 4 Ammianus’ Identification of Named Legions and Its Literary Significance Conor Whately 5 Religionibus Firmis Iuramenta Constricta? Ammianus and the Sacramentum Militiae Michael Wuk 6 Ammianus on Mallobaudes and Magnus Maximus: A Response to Theodosian Discourse? Jeroen Wijnendaele Part 3: Ammianus’ Literary Aims and Models 7 The Face of Convention: Battle and Siege Description in Ammianus Marcellinus J. E. Lendon 8 The Literary Function of Ammianus’ Criticisms of Military Luxuria Álvaro Sánchez-Ostiz 9 Coturni Terribilis Fabula (Amm. Marc. 28.6.29): The Goddess of Justice and the Death of Theodosius the Elder Sigrid Mratschek 10 Ille ut Fax uel Incensus Malleolus: Ammianus and His Swift Narration of Julian’s Balkan Itinerary in 361 CE Moysés Marcos 11 The Depiction of the Common Soldier (Miles) in Ammianus and Tacitus and the Intertextual Background of the Res Gestae Agnese Bargagna 12 Xenophon and Ammianus: Two Soldier-Historians and Their Persian Expeditions Guy Williams Index
