Table Of ContentThe Triumviral Narratives of
Appian and Cassius Dio
MICHIGAN MONOGRAPHS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
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Alain M. Gowing
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Homeric Hospitality Scene
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The Triumviral Narratives of
Appian and Cassius Dio
Alain M. Gowing
Ann Arbor
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS
Copyright © by the University of Michigan 1992
All rights reserved
Published in the United States of America by
The University of Michigan Press
Manufactured in the United States of America
1995 1994 1993 1992 4 3 2 1
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gowing, Alain M., 1953-
The triumviral narratives of Appian and Cassius Dio / Alain M.
Gowing.
p. cm. - (Michigan monographs in classical antiquity)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-472-10294-X (alk. paper)
1. Rome-History-Civil War, 43-31 B.C.-Historiography.
2. Appianus, of Alexandria. Civil wars. 3. Cassius Dio Cocceianus.
Roman history. I. Title. II. Series.
DG268.G68 1992
937'.05'072-dc20 92-29116
CIP
... sapiens subtilisque lector debet non diversis conferre diversa, sed
singula expendere, nee deterius alio putare quad est in suo genere
perfectum.
Pliny Ep. 4.14.7
Preface
Since the completion in 1988 of the Bryn Mawr dissertation herein revised,
two major studies of Cassius Dio and Appian as well as several pertinent
articles have appeared. D. Fechner's Untersuchungen zu Cassius Dios Sicht
der Romischen Republik (Hildesheim, 1986), which became available to me
too late to be of use in the original study, represents another in a series of
specialized efforts since Millar's A Study of Cassius Dio (Oxford, 1964)
showed that Dio's work warrants closer scrutiny. Of greater interest, perhaps,
because it is the only book-length treatment of Appian since Emilio Gabba's
seminal Appiano e la storia delle guerre civili (Florence, 1955) to deal with
issues other than Quellenkritik, is B. Goldmann's Einheitlichkeit und Eigen
stcindigkeit der Historia Romana des Appian (Hildesheim, 1988). Neither
book has obviated the need for a study such as mine, though both corroborated
some of my conclusions to a significant degree. More importantly, they
confirmed my strong feeling that a comparison of Appian and Dio as histo
riographers was timely and in order. And while this might not seem a
particularly compelling justification, detailed studies of these historians in
English are still relatively few. It is hoped, therefore, that this book might
bring the issues involved in the study of Appian and Dio before a wider
readership.
It is customary to record in this place debts of gratitude, and in my case
those debts are especially numerous. They are owed to, among others, my
mentors at Bryn Mawr College, in particular Mabel Lang, R.T. Scott, and Julia
Gaisser, and my colleagues and students at the University of Washington. All
have contributed, wittingly or not, to whatever may be useful and good in this
study. I extend special thanks to my director David Potter of the University of
Michigan for his constant support of and interest in the project, both at the
dissertation stage and beyond. It has been a rare privilege indeed to have had
the benefit of his remarkable and profound knowledge of all aspects of ancient
history and historiography. In addition, I would like to express my deep
viii / Prefa ce
appreciation to my editor Ellen Bauerle and the two anonymous referees. The
Graduate School of the University of Washington generously provided a grant
to defray the costs of photographs and map preparation; April Ryan of the
University's Instructional Media Services designed and produced the maps.
And finally, heartfelt gratitude goes to my wife Anne and son Benjamin, at
whose patience and affection I never cease to marvel.
The rhetoric of Prefaces also demands that I conclude with the admission
that all remaining flaws and oversights are of course my own. I readily make
such an admission as one further demonstration that all rhetoric need not be
empty.
Contents
Texts and Abbreviations
Xl
Introduction 1
Part 1: Prolegomena 7
1. An Alexandrian in Rome 9
2. The Roman Senator from Bithynia 19
3. Overview of the Triumviral Period in Appian and Dio:
Purposes, Perceptions, and Organization 33
4. The Source Question 39
5. The Historical Situation 51
Part 2: Persons 55
6. Octavian's Rise to Power 57
7. Octavian's Rival 95
8. The Odd Triumvir Out 123
9. Cicero's Final Year 143
10. The Tyrannicides 163
11. The Republicans' Last Hope 181
Part 3: Events 207
12. Battles 209
13. Speeches 225
14. The Proscriptions 247
x I Contents
Part 4: A Final Context 271
15. Appian as an Antonine Historian 273
16. Dio as a Severan Historian 289
17. Conclusion 295
Appendices 299
1. Chronological Table of Events from the Ides of March 44 B.c.
to the Death of Sextus Pompey in 35 301
2. Sextus Pompey and Neptune 309
3. Appian's and Dio's Accounts of Philippi 311
4. Did Appian Visit Philippi? 319
5. The i'.moµv~µaTa of Appian BC 5.45.191 321
Works Cited 323
Index Locorum 335
Index 365
Illustrations following page 146
