The Later Roman Empire: A.D. 354-378 - Ammianus Marcelinus

[pctacitus]

*** Discussion thread ***To order this book and support BookTalk.org click here.The poll has closed and our piece of Classical literature has been selected. For those that aren't aware, a group of us were discussing reading a Classic together, and then discussing it on the forums. Pctacitus has headed this project, and the book that won the poll is, The Later Roman Empire: A.D. 354-378 by Ammianus Marcellinus. To get a copy of this book you simply need to stop by your local public library. Just about any library should have it in stock. And remember - when your library doesn't have a particular book you can ask them to borrow it from another library through the book loan programs in which they all participate. Take advantage of your public libraries folks! That's what they're there for! Or you can order a hard copy through Amazon.com* * * * * *Ammianus Marcellinus, The Later Roman Empire: A.D. 354-378. That's what penguin calls it. Res Gestae is the Latin title, which translated means Deeds/Accomplishments of the Commonwealth, or Roman History (the word for deeds and accomplishments. are the same). Why such an inconspicuous title, especially for times of war, civil war, religious upheaval and persecution, drastic social, political and cultural change, for a period of time when the walls were crumbling down?By this point you are wondering why you should read this, when I seem to have almost gone out of my way to make it seem boring. Well, here's why. Ammianus Marcellinus is worth reading.The exact dates of his birth and death are estimated, but what is known of his birth is that it was in Antioch around 330 C.E. His family is unknown today, but his positions indicate that he was of noble birth and had connections at high levels of government as a young man. In 353 he was on the staff of Urcinis, a position to which he had been appointed by the Emperor Constantius, he was also among the Protectores Domestici (Imperial Guardsmen), a position requiring noble birth. Once in the army his work is not entirely known to us because "An important feature of his career was actual participation in many aspects of intelligence work." After serving in "...the army, he maintained contacts with senior military figures" and wrote his history.His history being what I am trying to get you to read. Ammianus is unusual because his work has been lauded "...not only for its coverage of military events, but for detailed information concerning economic, administrative, and social history, biographical information about the various emperors, and tolerant descriptions of foreign cultures." It is not surprising that as a former military officer who "...was as well read a man as any of his day..." But yet it is largely unheard of because of an Englishman from the 18th Century named Gibbon.In Life and Letters in the Fourth Century by T.R. Glover (published 1901), he begins a section on Ammianus thusly: "A man must have fine qualities so to write the history of his own times that his judgments on his contemporaries shall be sustained on appeal to the court of History, and posterity, after fifteen centuries accept them still. He must be cool and dispassionate in his survey, and yet sympathetic. He should be alive every aspect of the problems that beset his fellows, and take into account every advantage or disadvantage arising from age and environment. Commonly to attain the true perspective one must stand a century or at least a generation away. But in the fourth century, in the midst of the quarrels of Arian and Nicene, through all the turmoils of civil strife and barbarian war, lived and wrote a man, whose verdict on most of the men of his time is with some reservations substantially our own."What did this man write that has managed to maintain its credibility over these past sixteen centuries? If you want to find out that and learn more about the end of the Roman Empire and the Early Byzantine Empire, read a great history, or just simply want to hear a story that if not true, would have simply been laughed away, then read this book.If you want an entirely English text, the only source is to buy one. For a reasonable price, there is a penguin edition:www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140444 ... 5999864For those who want the complete English and Latin text, try Loeb who has it all in three volumes:Volume I. Books 14-19www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/L300.htmlVolume II. Books 20-26www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/L315.htmlVolume III. Books 27-31. Excerpta Valesianawww.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/L331.htmland for those among you who read Latin, a free online text of Latin only is available:www.gmu.edu/departments/fld/CLASSICS/ammianus.htmlI have my copy, and hope to see you posting here soon.Sincerely,Publius Cornelius Tacitus Edited by: Chris OConnor  at: 3/13/04 9:28 am

[ecstian]

My copy is on order from the local interlibrary system. It should be here in a few days. I have also found some other books in the library that have some excerpts and commentary on Ammianus's writings. One of them is "Readings In The Classical Historians" by Michael Grant. It covers alot of other Greek and Roman writers and looks very informative.I look forward to the reading and discussions.Eric

[ZachSylvanus]

I'm going to see about getting a copy from the library this week. Can't wait to go through it with you guys!

[Chris OConnor]

I'll try to get to the library tomorrow evening after work.Chris "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them"

[Chris OConnor]

My library has ordered it, but I will be waiting several weeks. Chris "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them"

[Chris OConnor]

My book is in!Chris "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them"

[Chris OConnor]

Just picked it up and was reading it as I drove....kinda dangerous. Looks awesome and I am really looking forwrad to this reading/discussion.Chris "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them"

[pctacitus]

It's good to know that one other person has a copy now. Now I'll start reading without delay. As I recall, one of you was interested in commentaries. There is a book by N. J. E. Austin and N. B. Rankov called Exploratio: Military and Political Intelligence in the Roman World from the Second Punic War to the Battle of Adrianople. One of the authors they discuss at length is Ammianus Marcellinus.www.amazon.com/exec/obido...ce&s=books

[Chris OConnor]

It looks like an easy read too. I was worried it would be written in a style difficult to understand for people not into the classics. Many words will be new though, so I'll read with the dictionary at hand.Chris "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them"

[pctacitus]

I was looking into commentaries in my university library, and this came up.www.amazon.com/exec/obido...ce&s=booksIt's "The Roman Empire of Ammianus" by John Matthews, and it appears worth a glance.