Lost History of Sextus Aurelius Victor
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A01=George Woudhuysen
A01=Justin Stover
Author_George Woudhuysen
Author_Justin Stover
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Category=NHAH
Category=NHC
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historiography
late antiquity
later latin literature
manuscript studies
Paul the Deacon
Roman history
Sextus Aurelius Victor
Product details
- ISBN 9781474492874
- Dimensions: 210 x 267mm
- Publication Date: 17 Jul 2023
- Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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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 historiography
Discusses a wide range of both canonical and neglected authors and texts, including Sallust, St Jerome, Ammianus, the Historia Augusta, Eunapius and Julian
Provides an up-to-date account of the mechanics of abbreviating texts in late antiquity, an important and relatively neglected subject
Re-reads and re-examines in detail two short imperial histories of the fourth century, the Caesares and the Epitome de Caesaribus
Based on primary sources, including manuscripts and newly discovered evidence for Victor's text
Resolves some of the enduring mysteries of later Latin literature
Has 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.
Justin Stover is a Senior Lecturer in Medieval Latin at the University of Edinburgh. George Woudhuysen is an Assistant Professor in Roman History at the University of Nottingham.
