ammianus marcellinus the later roman empire summary

[125][126] For Roman soldiery served twenty-year terms, this army size could be maintained through the recruitment of at least 20,000 troops each year. 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. Grant says that he also used government records and that when it is possible to check his writing against other sources, he emerges with credit.[27]. [10][11] Scholars studying 5th-century Roman history can primarily rely on a 10th-century collection of fragments from earlier Greek authors' works. [157] Constantine made lavish donations to the Christian church, including 10.5tons of silver, 2,335pounds of gold and 34,255gold solidi according to a list preserved in the Liber Pontificalis. [4], With his Church History, Eusebius originated another new literary genre with the focus on Christian missionaries, church leaders, martyrs and heretics. [128], Imperial Roman society was highly hierarchical. [165], Theological debates about the relationship between God the Father and Christ created a further schism. [143] There is evidence that pagans had taken part in citywide struggles both for and against Athanasius of Alexandria in 341 and 356. [13] The last outstanding Roman historian, Procopius completed detailed accounts of Emperor JustinianI's rule. Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus (mns mrslns), c.330-c.400, Roman historian, b. Antioch. New York: Methuen, London, AMS Press, 1974. He was aware that appearing to be too critical, or too sympathetic, towards named people might attract censure. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1972. When Ursicinus lost his office and the favor of Constantius, Ammianus seems to have shared his downfall; but under Julian, Constantius's successor, he regained his position. [162] Constantine treated the bishops as imperial officials. In: Yarshater, E. [37], With Gallienus' successor, Claudius Gothicus the military aristocracy of the Roman provinces on the Middle Danube took control of the Roman state. The Code of Theodosius contains about 2,500 entries and covers the period between 335 and 437. Even imperial images sent to the cities at the beginning of an emperor's rule were received and greeted at formal assemblies. [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. 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. Publication date 1935 Topics Rome -- History Empire, 284-476 Publisher London W. Heinemann Collection robarts; toronto Digitizing sponsor Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Contributor Robarts - University of Toronto Language English Volume 1. [12] The pagan Zosimus, the sole prominent Later Roman historian whose full work survived, blames Christianity for the quick decline of the Roman Empire. Some of their followers lived a solitary life, others assembled at least once a week for a communal meal or prayer. The Martyrs of Palestine by Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, introduced it in the early 4thcentury, but a later work, the Life of Anthony about the Egyptian hermit, Anthony the Great set a template for further works. [114], The Roman Empire was divided into about 50provinces in the 260s. The anti-Christian edits were not carried out consistently: in the west, Maximian and Constantius were mainly reluctant to implement them, and Constantine put an end to the purge in 306; in the east, Christians were imprisoned, tortured or executed, and the persecution lasted until Maximinus' fall in 312. They were often chosen from among the eunuchs who were always at the emperor's mercy, and were often unpopular. [118] To promote the development of his new capital, he granted Anatolian estates to all senators who built a private house in Constantinople. Be the first one to, Ammianus Marcellinus, with an English translation by John C. Rolfe, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). 1968. Interpreting Ammianus Marcellinus . A Roman historian chronicles Rome on the brink of collapse. Book 14 (the earliest to survive) starts from 353 (the sixteenth year of Constantius IIs reign) and ends with Deputy emperor Gallus' execution for misgovernment in 354. [88][81] Alaric invaded Italy and persuaded the Senatus to proclaim a pagan Roman aristocrat Priscus Attalus emperor in November 409. Little is known of his life, except that he was probably born to a Greek-speaking family in Antioch, between 325 and 330. On the other hand, a persistent belief in the existence of myriads of demons is well documented. Search the history of over 778 billion To redeem, copy and paste the code during the checkout process. While the date of his death is unknown, he lived very near to the end of the 4th century AD. He originally intended to end with the twenty-fifth, which concludes with Julians death in 363. [121], Roman citizens regarded the defense of their homeland as the emperors' prime duty. Ammianus Marcellinus is often considered to be the last Roman historian of any merit. After retiring from a successful military career, he wrote a history of the Roman Empire as a sequel to that of Tacitus, his model. [64] On his deathbed, he had allegedly named Julian as his sole heir. He led the Vandals and Alans across the Strait of Gibraltar into northern Africa. [177] Their adherence to Arianism became a mark of their own ethnic identity and their attempts to have their own churches led to conflicts with Nicene bishops. In concern with Galerius, he outlawed Christianity in 303, initiating the Christians' last systematic persecution in the empire. A new tetrarchy was established with Constantius and Galerius as the new Augusti, and two Illyrian officers Valerius Severus and Maximinus Daia as the new Caesares. The nearly 300bishops who assembled at the First Council of Nicaea adopted a creed emphasizing that the Son was of the same nature as the Father. Book 20 returns to his focus on Ursicinus, describing what Ammianus sees as his unfair dismissal and Constantius attempt to remove Julian from his post in Gaul, which resulted in the troops hailing Julian as emperor (360). Inscriptions hailed Julian as "restorer of liberty and the Roman religion". He was a pagan and an admirer of the apostate Julian, to whose career about half the surviving books are devoted. Marcellinus, Ammianus, and John Carew Rolfe. [101], Although the Vandals and Alans conquered southern Hispania, their king Gaiseric realized that they could hardly resist attacks by the Visigoths and Romans for long. She appointed a senior officer Felix to the supreme commandership and sent Aetius to Gaul. [61] Constantine, the eldest of the three brothers, was dissatisfied with the division of the empire. [189] Priscillian, a Hispanian lay ascetic, who rejected marriage and promoted vegetarianism, was an early example. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. In 293, Diocletian instituted a tetrarchyfour co-emperors' joint ruleby appointing two Illyrian officers Constantius Chlorus and Galerius as Caesars. Julian's relative Procopius challenged Valens' claim to rule, but Valens routed him in Lydia in 366. Christians who were regarded heretics by state authorities were regularly labelled as Manichaeans. [9] His brief epilogues on the characters of the emperors, an example of a certain moralizing tendency, have been called the best short characterizations in the whole of ancient history.[10] He gives excellent pictures of social and economic problems, and in his attitude to the non-Roman peoples of the empire he is far more broad-minded than writers like Livy and Tacitus. While classical culture claimed that only the wealthy could live a truly civilized life, hagiographies praised uneducated ascetics who abandoned civilisation for the desert. The head of the large Diocese of the East bore the title of Comes Orientis, while the provinces Africa and Asia remained under the rule of proconsuls who reported directly to the emperors. [6] He was sent to serve under Ursicinus, governor of Nisibis in Mesopotamia, and magister militiae. 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 was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. HistoriansRomeBiography. [45] The spread of Christianity and the Christians' rejection of traditional cults troubled the elderly Diocletian. His generals proclaimed his younger son Valentinian II Gratian's co-emperor, likely to prevent each other from claiming the throne. The use of the adjectives "sacred" and "divine" became common when referring anything with direct contact with the emperor, including his bedchamber and treasury. [167] Their banishment did not heal the schism, and the Arian exiles were allowed to return, while the most prominent anti-Arian bishops Athanasius of Alexandria and Marcellus of Ancyra were exiled. Episcopal elections became controlled by the aristocracy and the local communities could no more freely elect their bishops. Inflation increased the significance of taxes in kind, particularly the annona militaristhe compulsory grain supply to the armyand the angareiathe mandatory military transport. Get this from a library! He was not, however, a narrow-minded pagan and subscribed to the view that there really was no need for a sharp dichotomy between pagan and Christian beliefs. He believed in a divine power that manifested itself through the various deities.[30] He was full of praise for Valentinian Is policy of religious tolerance and while generally very positive on Julian, he thought he went too far in his anti-Christian measures, it was a harsh law that forbade Christian rhetoricians and grammarians to teach unless they consented to worship the pagan Gods.[31] Grant suggests that on the one hand what he wrote in praise of Julian would have displeased Christians, while when he criticized Julian he would have alienated pagans, who idolized him. Around 531 he banned all who had not received the orthodox/nicean baptism from teaching and serving in state administration. Ambrose of Milan sharply attacked the Jews in his correspondence with TheodosiusI about the destruction of a Syrian synagogue by Roman soldiers. English: LoC Class: DG: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Italy, Vatican City, Malta: Subject: Rome -- History . GreeksRome Biography. 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. 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. The later Roman Empire (A.D. 354-378) by Ammianus Marcellinus First published in 1986 1 edition in 1 language 1 previewable His writings are an indispensable basis for our knowledge of the late Roman world Member of. [147], Festivities were the most lasting elements of pagan cults. Theodosius ordered the appointment of Nicene bishops to all eastern sees. . In comparison with previous periods, studies on Later Roman history are based on diverse but mainly biased written sources. Readers trust theseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators. Ammianus Marcellinus (b. c. 330d. The ascetic Jerome was the spiritual instructor of a circle of wealthy Roman women, including Paula and her daughter Blaesilla. Delphi's Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the . [136] Pagan temples were first closed under ConstantiusII, but Julian re-opened them. His brief epilogues on the characters of the emperors, an example of a moralizing tendency, have been called the best short characterizations in the whole of ancient history.[1] He lacked the linguistic style of Tacitus, being at times turgid and clumsy. [174], Valens appointed the moderate Arian Demophilus to the see of Constantinople, but the western bishops insisted on the Nicene doctrine. His order about the sprinkling of foods with water used by pagan priests during sacrifices was particularly provocative for Christians. Ammianus Marcellinus was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. Located at the intersection of overland routes connecting the empire's eastern and western part, these provinces were a principal venue of military operations and recruitment. By the size of the Roman army is meant the changes (increases and reductions) in the number of its contingents: legions, auxiliaries, Praetorian cohorts, Urban cohorts, vigiles, and naval forces over the course of twelve centuries - from 753 BC to AD 476 (the Fall of the Western Roman Empire).. Regal period (753 - 509 BC) After the founding of Rome, legend has it that the first king . The pagan panegyrist Themistius praised his religious policy for encouraging competition among people of diverse religious background. Click here for the lowest price! Ammianus Marcellinus was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. 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 . The Council of Serdica ordered the restoration of Paul to Constantinople and Athanasius to Alexandria, but the conflict continued because Constantius refused the Nicene creeds and rival Christian communities continued to co-exist in the eastern provinces. In September 337, the three brothers assumed the title of Augustus and divided the empire at a meeting in Pannonia: Constantine received the western, Constans the central and Constantius the eastern regions. Following the example of Herodotus he often digressed to describe the geography, people and whatever he found curious, such as geese which make no sound when they are crossing the Taurus and the fact that Constantius never ate fruit. [40] He was proclaimed emperor at a meeting of senior officers at Nicomedia in November 284. The Age of Attila : Fifth-Century Byzantium and the Barbarians. 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. Ammianus . Contemporaneous observers did not consider it more than a new division of responsibilitieson this occasion between two leading figures of the two emperors' courts, the Western Roman general Stilicho and the Eastern Roman praetorian prefect Rufinus. [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. 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. He says as a gentleman (ingenuus) he had to get used to all the walking required of him in the military. [110] From the 380s, the emperors rarely held their court along the frontiers, and the eastern emperors mainly stayed in Constantinople, and their western co-rulers in Milan, Aquileia or Ravenna. Augustine of Hippo writes of pagan dancers marching by Christian churches and stoning them as a reprisal for the Christian clergy's attempt to hinder the pagan celebration. [139] His short reign could not stop the Christianization of the Roman Empire. A previously lively girl, Blaesilla took ascetism to the extreme, and after she died, Jerome warned her mother against excessive grief. 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. As Valentinian was only four, Gratian became the sole ruler of their father's part of the empire. Ammianus Marcellinus was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. [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. 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 . ISBN -415-20271-X 1. Paperback, 9780140444063, 0140444068 His is the last major historical account of the late Roman Empire which survives today. [188] Their asceticism and dualism were particularly attractive to young intellectuals, among them Augustine who adhered to their faith before his conversion to Christianity around 382. ConstantineI dissolved the praetorians and formalized the distinction between the border troops, or limitanei, and the field army troops, or comitatenses. He announced the restoration of the confiscated property to the Christians, but also promised a compensation for those who had seized confiscated goods during the persecution. Writing when Rome was facing her decline and when barbarians were attacking from the North, Ammianus was aware that Rome was entering what he called her old age. He wrote: Declining into old age, and often owing victory to its name alone, Rome has come to a quieter period of its existence.[22]. To prevent further plundering raids, he agreed to pay a yearly tribute of 25,200nomismata to the Huns. 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. [32] He admired the Christian martyrs and some provincial bishops for their moderation but criticized others for wasting money. [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. Constantius died of a mortal illness in Cilicia in November 361. [169], In concert with most western bishops, ConstantineII and Constans insisted on the Nicene Creed, but ConstantiusII and the majority of the eastern clergy sympathized with the Arians. With more than 1,700titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Prisoners and defeated enemies were regularly recruited, and volunteers, both Romans and foreigners, also served in the army. [Ammianus Marcellinus; Walter Hamilton; Andrew Wallace-Hadrill] -- A history of Rome during the reigns of Constantius, Julian, Jovian, Valentinian and Valens, by a fourth century army officer. [67], Unable to resist to attacks by the nomadic Huns from the east, masses of Gothsreportedly 100,000 men, women and childrengathered at the Lower Danube and sought asylum from Valens in the summer of 376. Diocletian and Galerius established a new tetrarchy recognizing Galerius and his protg Licinius as Augusti, and Maximinus and Constantine as Caesares, but Maximian, Constantine and Maxentius did not accept their decision. His general Gerontius mutinied and acclaimed a certain Maximus emperor. 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. 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. 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. 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. [16][17] The early 5th-century Notitia Dignitatum is a useful source of the empire's civil and military administration even if it likely contains exaggerated data: both military commanders and high-ranking civil servants tended to emphasize the importance of their office by giving overestimated numbers to official data collectors. [129][130], The cities were the centres of the pagan cults all over the Roman empire. [4] The date of his death is unknown, but he must have lived until 391, as he mentions Aurelius Victor as the city prefect for that year. Alexandria tsunami which devastated the metropolis and the shores of the eastern Mediterranean on 21 July of that year. He was "a former soldier and a Greek" ut miles quondam et graecus[5] he says, and his enrollment among the elite protectores domestici (household guards) shows that he was of noble birth because he appears to have entered the army at an early age when Constantius II was emperor of the East, when such a rank would only have been open to someone whose family wielded influence (or to someone who already had a record of distinguished service, which could not have applied to him). 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. He married Honorius' half-sister, Galla Placidia who had been captured during the sack of Rome. Arcadius' confidant, the eunuch Eutropius assumed power in Constantinople, but Gainas achieved his deposition after a rebellion of the Phrygian Gothic troops in 399. The new imperial aristocracy was based on office-holding instead of inherited wealth and family connections. 325-ca. After a Persian invasion of Mesopotamia, Constantius hurried to the east. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. [27] With the emergence of the militant Sasanian Empire, Rome ceased to be the sole great power in the Near East. [55] He established a new city on the site of the ancient Greek polis of Byzantium on the Bosporus. political and military decline. Relationship between the Roman state and Christians was cordial to the extent that an Antiochene Christian group sought Emperor Aurelian's intervention against their bishop Paul of Samosata whom they had excommunicated for heresy. He traveled widely in the East of the empire. As you may notice from the title, it only covers about a quarter of the century, and it spends a lot of time on Julian. Only pagan practices that the Christians regarded especially immoral or offensive were banned under his rule. Aurelius Victor and an unknown author completed short imperial biographies in the second half of the 4thcentury, allegedly using a common source. Maximus withdrew to Hispania and Constantius captured Constantine at Arles. [104] The Huns had established their new center of power in the plains along the river Tisza in Central Europe. Stilicho enclosed and captured them with the support of Alans, Goths and Huns at Florence. [1][2] HagiographiesChristian martyrs' and ascetics' biographiesform the period's most distinctive literary genre. Little is known of his life, except that he was probably born to a Greek-speaking family in Antioch, between 325 and 330. [190], Around 368, a provincial governor and three imperial envoys were executed on charges of, An offspring of a traditional senatorial family could typically serve as. Just for joining youll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members. While marching towards Constantinople, he died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in February 364. For instance, after the 348 earthquake in Beirut pagans started praying in the Christian church, but they did not abandon all their pagan customs. 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 . They divided Armenia. As depicted in many studies of the later Roman Empire, the military sys- . At the wedding, he reportedly declared the renewal of the Roman Empire "by the might of the Goths" as his main purpose, but a year later, in 415, he was murdered by a retainer. They are mentioned only in late Roman sources such as Ammianus Marcellinus and St Jerome, amongst whom they had a reputation for savagery. 390 and covering in the surviving books the years AD 353 to 378 and the emperors Constantius II, Julian, Jovian, Valentinian I, and Valens. Under the new system, civil and military hierarchies were separated. Nevertheless, his treatment of Christianity is free from prejudice and his impartiality and good judgement have been generally acknowledged. Quite paradoxically, even Honorius, characterized as the "most unwarlike emperor" by historian Thomas S. Burns, was depicted as a conqueror of enemy forces on his coins. Summary: By far the most detailed account of the late Roman state and its emperors comes from the history of Ammianus Marcellinus, completed in ca. [70], Theodosius was the first emperor to rule primarily from Constantinople. With Arbogast's support, a Roman pagan aristocrat, Eugenius was proclaimed emperor, but Theodosius defeated him in the Battle of the Frigidus on 6September 394. [63] He appointed his cousin Gallus to rule the eastern provinces as Caesar, but Gallus' despotic measures caused massive discontent. For most of the first five centuries ad, they ruled the parts of north-western Europe where medieval civilisation would later flourish. 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. A year later, Galerius and the retired Diocletian died, leaving Constantine, Licinius, Maxentius and Maximinus on the scene. Bonifatius defeated Aetius at Rimini in 432, but was mortally wounded during the battle. 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. Covers the period 's most distinctive literary genre in 366: Methuen, London, AMS,!, some services may be impacted ' despotic measures caused massive discontent York: Methuen, London AMS... Persian invasion of Mesopotamia, Constantius hurried to the Huns had established their new center of power the. Lay ascetic, who rejected marriage and promoted vegetarianism, was dissatisfied with the support of Alans, Goths Huns. Aristocracy was based on diverse but mainly biased written sources aurelius Victor and an unknown author completed short biographies! General Gerontius mutinied and acclaimed a certain Maximus emperor Roman women, including Paula and her daughter Blaesilla 1/14. The praetorians and formalized the distinction between the border troops, or limitanei and! 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