Greek and Roman Historiography in Late Antiquity: Fourth to Sixth Century, A.D

550 Pages·2003·1.99 MB·English

by  Gabriele Marasco

GREEK AND ROMAN HISTORIOGRAPHY
IN LATE ANTIQUITY
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GREEK AND ROMAN HISTORIOGRAPHY
IN LATE ANTIQUITY
Fourth to Sixth Century A.D.
EDITED BY
GABRIELE MARASCO
BRILL
LEIDEN •BOSTON
2003
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Greek and Roman historiography in late antiquity : fourth to sixth century A.D. / edited
by Gabriele Marasco.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 90-04-11275-8
1. Rome—Historiography. 2. Historiography—Rome. 3. Greece—Historiography. 4.
Historiography—Greece—History—To 1500. I. Marasco, Gabriele.
DG205.G74 2003
930'.07'2037--dc21
2003045373
ISBN 90 04 11275 8
© Copyright 2003 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
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CONTENTS
Preface ........................................................................................ vii
Abbreviations .............................................................................. ix
PART ONE
Chapter One Historiography in the Age of Constantine .... 3
F. Winkelmann
Chapter Two Ammianus Marcellinus .................................... 43
G. Sabbah
Chapter Three Minor Latin Historians of the
Fourth Century A.D. .............................................................. 85
G. Bonamente
Chapter Four The Historia Augusta and Pagan
Historiography ........................................................................ 127
A.R. Birley
Chapter Five The Church Historians after Eusebius .......... 151
P. Van Deun
Chapter Six Pagan Historiography and the Decline of the
Empire .................................................................................... 177
W. Liebeschuetz
Chapter Seven The Church Historians (I): Socrates,
Sozomenus, and Theodoretus
H. Leppin .................................................................................. 219
PART TWO
Chapter Eight The Church Historians (II): Philostorgius
and Gelasius of Cyzicus ........................................................ 257
G. Marasco
Chapter Nine The Development of Greek Historiography:
Priscus, Malchus, Candidus .................................................. 289
R. Blockley
vi 
Chapter Ten Latin Historiography: Jerome, Orosius and
the Western Chronicles .......................................................... 317
G. Zecchini
PART THREE
Chapter Eleven Latin Historiography and the Barbarian
Kingdoms ................................................................................ 349
B. Croke
Chapter Twelve Historiography in the East .......................... 391
M.R. Cataudella
Chapter Thirteen TheChurchHistoriansandChalcedon .... 449
M. Whitby
Chapter Fourteen The Beginning of Byzantine
Chronography: John Malalas ................................................ 497
E. Jeffreys
Index ............................................................................................ 529
PREFACE
The wide growth of studies on Late Antiquity during the last few
decades has made more important the analysis of the historiographical
sources of that period, which are often not well known. There has
been a lot of interest in such sources, as is shown by the great
number of studies about single authors and historiographical genres,
and, particularly during the last few years, about the writings of
ecclesiastical historians. But, although there exist some useful inven-
tories1 and analyses dedicated to particular themes in the develop-
ment of historiography during Late Antiquity,2 there is no general
study of these historians’ writings—including both pagans and Chris-
tians—, of their relationships, polemics and similarities. Besides the
religious polemic since Eusebius, well focused by A. Momigliano in
an important essay,3 Late Antiquity has been characterized also by
consonances of themes and methods between pagan and Christian
historians, who often used and appreciated the writings of colleagues
of other faiths. Ecclesiastical historians in particular are important
sources, often not yet well known or used, on the political and social
history of the Late Empire. It is important to analyze their charac-
teristics with respect to the pagan and Christian historiographical
traditions.
The purpose of this book is to analyze the historiographical devel-
opment during Late Antiquity, to give to scholars an instrument for
consultation and to make better known some at present little known
historians. We particularly want to show the relationships between
them and their position in the culture and politics of their age.
1 Cf., with reference to sources concerning Oriental regions, G. Moravcsik, Byzan-
tinoturcicaI (Berlin, 19582); J. Karayannopulos and G. Weiss, Quellenkunde zur Geschichte
von Byzanz (324–1453), 2 vols. (Wiesbaden, 1982); concerning the literary sources
more generally of that period, cf. A. Demandt, Die Spätantike(München, 1989), 7–33.
2 Cf. particularly B. Croke and A.M. Emmett (eds.), History and Historians in Late
Antiquity (Sydney, 1983).
3 “Pagan and Christian Historiography in the Fourth Century A.D.,” in
A. Momigliano (ed.), The Conflict between Paganism and Christianity in the Fourth Century
(Oxford, 1963), 79–99.
viii 
The editors at Brill—Albert Hoffstädt, Job Lisman and, at a later
stage, Marcella Mulder and Michiel Klein Swormink—have been
particularly helpful: I would like to thank them very much.
Gabriele Marasco
ABBREVIATIONS
ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt, hrsg. v. H. Temporini
und W. Haase, Berlin-New York, 1972–.
BHAC Bonner-Historia-Augusta-Colloquium, Bonn, 1963–1991.
FCH R.C. Blockley, The Fragmentary Classicising Historians of the Later
Roman Empire, 3 vols., Liverpool 1981–1983.
FHG C. and T. Müller, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum, 5 vols.,
Paris 1841–1847.
CCL Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina.
CSCO Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium.
CSEL Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum.
GCS Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten Jahr-
hunderte.
HE Historia ecclesiastica.
MGH Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Auctores Antiquissimi.
PG Patrologia Graeca.
PL Patrologia Latina.
PLRE A.H.M. Jones, J.R. Martindale, J. Morris, The Prosopography
of the Later Roman Empire, I–III, Cambridge 1971.
PO Patrologia Orientalis.
RE Paulys Realencyklopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft.
SCh Sources chrétiennes.