Rome at this time was horribly corrupt and deserved to be sacked.

The use of set-piece speeches that are almost certainly 100% fabrications (or perhaps at best reconstructions) are also a reminder of what Marcellinus has inherited from his predecessors. He does go on several asides, though I think these add to the character of the work. Marcellinus, Ammianus. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! 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 Amida (now Diyarbakır, Tur.) The Empire itself is crushing under the weight of; government corruption, heavy taxation, endless civil wars, and nearby invading tribes. The greatest of the Roman historians. The author and the population at large, have full confidence in Roman supremacy. Let that sink in for a minute. The Later Roman Empire: (a.D. 354-378). It only encompasses 24 years of the mid to late fourth century, but this bloke was there and witnessed it first hand. Omissions? He does go on several asides, though I think these add to the character of the work. He used the regular techniques of later Roman historiography—rhetoric in his speeches, ethnographical digressions in descriptions, such as that of the culture of the Huns, and biographical conventions in character sketches along with fondness for literary allusion, overabundant metaphor, and much ornament.

Drawing upon his own experience, Ammianus supplies vivid pictures of the empire’s economic and social problems. I started rooting for the barbarians! This is an abridgment of a work which is already incomplete. In general I enjoyed this book. Loved this. Ammianus Marcellinus is one of the last voices of the classical era, making this a book of particular interest, closing a chapter that begins with Heraclitus. Striking are the moralizing reflections that testify to a great experience, human knowledge and wisdom. Even though it reads like an excerpt from a larger history (which it is), as long as you have a good understanding of the geography it flows very nicely. 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 final chapters address the decline of the empire by examining the period between the outbreak of the Great Plague of 542 and the eclipse of Roman power in the Near East in the seventh century, resulting from a final great war with the Persian Empire and the emerging power of Islam among the Arabs. There is also a description of The Later Roman Empire. Give sub-headings in the paper to answer the questions in that section. The "article sharing for free answers" option enables you to get a discount of up to 100% based on the level of engagement that your social media post attracts. Although Ammianus was clearly influenced by Tacitus’s Historiae, Cicero is the Latin author he quotes and refers to most often. Corrections? The Age of Attila : Fifth-Century Byzantium and the Barbarians. Very interesting and especially a high literary level.

Ammianus Marcellinus was the last great Roman historian, and his writings rank alongside those of Livy and Tacitus. The beginning of Ammianus's work, covering the reign of Constantine, is lost, but the surviving portions focus on the emperor Julian and his failed invasion of Mesopotamia and conclude with Valens's disastrous defeat at Adrianople in 378, so there are important historical turning points in the chronology. Welcome back. A good third of the book is no longer extant. The closest thing to a time machine to the late 300s, not just to its events but even its mindset. 19 The Roman Empire of Ammianus, 412f. How charming are ancient/medieval amateur historians? So that by the time you get to the battle of Adrianople, the bulk of the material fleshing out the background of the Goth's and Huns, the construction of the Limes on the Rhine and Danube, the incursions by the Franks and Saxons into Gaul and Britain, have all effectively been skipped and replaced with 1-2 sentence long summaries. Amminaus Marcellinus analysis :The Later Roman Empire. Start by marking “The Later Roman Empire (A.D. 354-378)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Decided to reread this classic of late Roman historiography after reading Donna Tartt's, This volume contains a substantial narrative of political and military events, highlighting major episodes such as the conversion of Constantine, the creation in the East of the pious Christian state, and the resurgence of Roman ambition under the emperor Justinian. To made this worse, Hamilton chose to effectively omit virtually ALL. The paper on Amminaus Marcellinus. By the same token, the passage cannot be said, as it is by Fornara, Bowersock and Barnes, to disprove Ammianus' Antiochene origin. This is an abridgment of a work which is already incomplete. Some absolutely hilarious entries, particularly Book 28, Chapter 4 on the vices of Roman Society. The closest thing to a time machine to the late 300s, not just to its events but even its mindset. Then I realized that his history would probably seem very familiar to me, having already read Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall' and Heather's 'Fall of the Roman Empire', for which Ammianus serves as a primary source.

His judgment in political affairs was limited only by his own straightforward attitude. As a fan of ancient history, I really enjoyed this book. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Gordon, Colin Douglas. It's hard not to like a book that Gibbon cited as a major source, but the Penguin version is unfortunately abridged and leaves out some quality passages. The first thirteen of his thirty-one books are lost; the remainder describe a period of only twenty-five years (A.D. 354-378) and the reigns of the emperors Constantis, Julian, Jovian, Valentinian and Valens, for which he is a prime authority. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. 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. What stands out most in his account are the Goths (who are strangely like Anglo-Americans in the 1800s, with covered wagons and everything), that horrible battle against them at Adrianople and his picture of Julian, the last man to rule the Roman Empire who believed in the old gods. For the lover of Roman history who is more interested in social history, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbons is a much more interesting read. In a group of thematic chapters, the book considers the nature of the late Roman state, the emergence and character of the western barbarian kingdoms, the epochal religious changes of late antiquity, and major aspects of economy and society. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1972. 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 the Goth’s … Ammianus Marcellinus, (born c. 330, Antioch, Syria [now Antakya, Tur. Very readable history surrounding the reign of Julian the Apostate. Ammianus fought against the Persians under the emperor Julian and took part in the retreat of his successor, Jovian. To what extent does Ammianus see the emperor’s character influencing the fortunes of the Empire? One of my favorite authors. There are aspects of the book that may deter the more casual classical historian, including the obvious tropes and stylistic conventions that Marcellinus copied or adopted from earlier writers such as Tacitus.

]—died 395, Rome [Italy]), last major Roman historian, whose work continued the history of the later Roman Empire to 378. intro has good information as well. Marcellinus details the events of the later Roman Empire.

by Penguin Classics.

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. It is so eloquently worded, presenting a raw and graphic representation of events. This history has a few more curious anecdotal side stories to help the reader through the usual unending chain of battles and the morass of common Roman names so easily confused with their more famous predecessors. I enjoyed this book.

As good as Plutarch is, Ammianus makes him look ordinary. In general I enjoyed this book. Refreshingly though, Christians are treated as fellow citizens and without the predictable prejudices of earlier Roman works.

3. There are no discussion topics on this book yet.

How much does Ammianus see the armies as political actors?

I decided to read Ammianus because I understood he was a self-conscious successor to Tacitus, whose work is probably my favorite of the contemporaneous Roman histories. This dude describes some stuff that's absolutely insane and Roman history literally jumps off the pages.

“No wild beasts are so deadly to humans as most Christians are to each other.”, “There is in fact no way of correcting wrongdoing in those who think that the height of virtue consists in the execution of their will.”, savage man-eating she-bears called Gold-dust and Innocence, Readers’ Top Histories and Biographies of the Last 5 Years.