The Lost History of Sextus Aurelius Victor

Description

A radical rewriting of the history of fourth-century Latin literature Demonstrates for the first time both the contemporary and lasting influence of Victor’s historiographyDiscusses a wide range of both canonical and neglected authors and texts, including Sallust, St Jerome, Ammianus, the Historia Augusta, Eunapius and JulianProvides an up-to-date account of the mechanics of abbreviating texts in late antiquity, an important and relatively neglected subjectRe-reads and re-examines in detail two short imperial histories of the fourth century, the Caesares and the Epitome de CaesaribusBased on primary sources, including manuscripts and newly discovered evidence for Victor’s textResolves some of the enduring mysteries of later Latin literatureHas implications impacting many different areas of Late Roman and early medieval studies, including political, social, cultural, literary and legal history, as well as historiography This book rediscovers a lost history of the Roman Empire, written by Sextus Aurelius Victor (ca. 320-390) and demonstrates for the first time both the contemporary and lasting influence of his historical work. Though little regarded today, Victor is the best-attested historian of the later Roman Empire, read by Jerome and Ammianus, honoured with a statue by the pagan Emperor Julian and appointed to a prestigious prefecture by the Christian Theodosius. Through careful analysis of the ancient evidence, including newly discovered material, this book re-examines the two short imperial histories attributed to Victor in the manuscripts, known today as the Caesares and the Epitome de Caesaribus, and discusses a wide range of both canonical and neglected authors and texts, from Sallust and Tacitus to Eunapius and the Historia Augusta. By providing a new account of the original scope and scale of Victor’s Historia, this book revolutionises our understanding of the writing of history in late antiquity. Not only does it have profound implications for the transmission of Classical texts in the Middle Ages and the history of Classical scholarship, but it also solves some of the enduring mysteries of later Latin literature.