Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXV (Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellin)

441 Pages·2005·2.55 MB·English

by  J. den Boeft

PHILOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL COMMENTARY
ON AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS XXV

PHILOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
COMMENTARY ON
AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS XXV
BY
J. DEN BOEFT
J.W. DRIJVERS
D. DEN HENGST
H.C. TEITLER
BRILL
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2005
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
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A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 90 04 14214 2
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CONTENTS
Preface ................................. vii
Introduction ........................... ix
Anoteonchronology ................. xv
Legenda ................................ xxiii
Map ..................................... xxvi
CommentaryonChapter1 ........... 1
CommentaryonChapter2 ........... 39
CommentaryonChapter3 ........... 57
CommentaryonChapter4 ........... 111
CommentaryonChapter5 ........... 169
CommentaryonChapter6 ........... 197
CommentaryonChapter7 ........... 219
CommentaryonChapter8 ........... 251
CommentaryonChapter9 ........... 279
CommentaryonChapter10 ......... 307
Bibliography ........................... 345
Indices ................................. 369

PREFACE
Book25oftheResGestaeisthelastofthebooksinwhichJulianplaysa
leadingpart.Thecommentaryonthisbookisoursixthcontribution
to the series which was initiated by P. de Jonge. As in book 24, the
precise chronology of the events and the numerous geographical
detailsposedmanyproblems.Owingtoalackofclearevidence,ina
numberofcasesonlytentativesolutionswerefeasible.
Weowethankstofriendsandcolleaguesfortheirhelpfuladvice
andtoInesvandeWetering,whocorrectedourEnglish.TheFonda-
tion Hardt at Vandoeuvres (CH) again offered its hospitality for
some periods of undisturbed study. Dr Vera Enke of the Berlin-
BrandenburgischeAkademiederWissenschaftenkindlygaveusthe
opportunitytostudythearchivesofthe‘Arbeitsgruppefürspätrömis-
chePhilologieundGeschichte’,ledbyDrW.Seyfarth(1906–1985),
the editor of the Teubner edition of the Res Gestae. This material
made us aware of the difficulties he had to cope with in his schol-
arly work and also provided us with some welcome suggestions for
our own task. Thanks are due to the Netherlands Organization for
Scientific Research (NWO), which subsidized the correction of the
Englishmanuscript.
The cooperation with the publishing house Koninklijke Brill
N.V.wasefficient.
J.denBoeft
J.W.Drijvers
D.denHengst
H.C.Teitler

INTRODUCTION
Book25oftheResGestae isthelastpartofthetrilogyonthePersian
expedition.Book23describestheeventsinthefirstthreemonthsof
363,duringwhichthefinalpreparationsweremadeatAntiochand
thearmymarchedtoCercusiumontheEuphrates,whereitinvaded
Persianterritory.ThemarchtoCtesiphonandthebeginningofthe
northbound katabasis, a period of two and a half months, are dealt
withinbook24.Remarkably,book25coversalargerspaceandmore
timethanthetwopreceedingbooksputtogether:ittakesthereader
from a place about 35 kilometers north of Ctesiphon to Dadastana
ontheborderbetweenGalatiaandBithynia,adistanceofmorethan
1700kilometers.Intime,itrunsfromJune17,363toFebruary17,
364,afulleightmonths.
Suchbarecalendricalandgeographicaldetailsare,however,mis-
leading: in fact, the first half of book 25 is devoted to a period of
tendays,fromJune17toJune26,anditsfinalpages,markedoffas
chapter 10, deal with around four months. Simple observations of
thiskindillustratethehugedifferencebetweenapurelychronolog-
icalsurveyandhistoriography.Ahistorianisrightlyexpectedtopay
carefulattentiontoacorrectchronology,butwithinthisframework
he selects the events to which he ascribes a particular importance,
distinguishing them from any facts which he regards as less inter-
esting or even not worth mentioning. Ammianus expresses this in
thesewords:carptim,utquaequememoriadignasunt,explicabo(28.1.2)
and, more precisely, sufficiet enim veritate nullo velata mendacio ipsas
rerum digerere summitates (31.5.10). No reader will deny the histo-
rian the right or, indeed, the duty to proceed selectively (carptim)
and to restrict himself to the truly crucial events (ipsas rerum sum-
mitates). Generally speaking, there is no reason for repeated com-
plaints about Ammianus’ strategy, although at times more precise
and detailed information would have been desirable. Nevertheless,
the historian’s selection of material is as much determined by his
interpretationof the past as is his presentationof the evidencein a
well-composedaccount.Theseaspectsofthehistoriographicartwere
hardlyproblematizedbyAmmianus,buttheyaretodaytheobjectof
critical scrutiny in philosophical analyses of historiography in gen-
eral. Inevitably, the Res Gestae has also become the object of such
critical examinations, and many scholars have tried to pinpoint the
x introduction
author’s political principles and, more specifically, his biased views
andprejudices,andsomehaveevencalledhisbasictrustworthiness
into question. In recent books and articles the second half of book
25, which describes the short reign of Jovian, is regularly exploited
asevidencetodemonstratehowAmmianusmanipulatedthefacts.
The first pages of the book describe the continuation of the
army’s katabasis in a northern direction, which the author never
openly calls a retreat. The Romans are continually harassed by the
Persians, but they finally defeat their enemies in a pitched battle,
duringwhichRomanstaminagloriouslyovercomesPersianfragility.
However,thissuccessdoesnotinanywayalteranotherproblem,viz.
theacuteshortageoffood,whichseverelyworriestheemperorJulian.
Suddenly two earlier threads, one in each of the books 23 and 24,
cometogether:book23ischaracterizedbyaseriesofwarningomina,
neglectedbyJulian;inbook24ominaareabsent,withoneexception;
instead we find a number of reckless acts committed by Julian, in
which he exposes himself to mortal danger. In chapter 2 of book
25JulianisfirstconfrontedwithanightlyappearanceoftheGenius
publicus, who had also appeared to him in Paris during the night
before he was proclaimed Augustus. This time, however, the Spirit
of the Commonwealth leaves his tent in a somber mood, with the
hornofplentyveiled.SomewhatlaterJulianseesashootingstar.The
divinatoryexperts,whomheconsults,concludethatallfurtheraction
oughttobepostponed,buttheyfailtopersuadeJulianandtherefore
the next morning the army continues its march. When it is heavily
attacked at various points, Julian involves himself personally in the
necessary defensive actions, sine respectu periculi sui and forgetting
to don a proper armour. Ammianus refrains from terms such as
temeritas, but the reader cannot help fearing the outcome of this
bravery. These fears come true: suddenly the emperor is severely
wounded by a spear and he has to be brought back to his tent.
Thissetbackignitesinhissoldiersaspiriteddeterminationandthey
gain the upper hand. Ammianus hails their success in panegyric
phraseology, but has to admit that there were some costly losses on
theRomanside.
In the meantime Julian has realized that his life is at its end.
The author honours the man, whom, for all his shortcomings, he
regarded as an outstanding ruler and general, in the best way he
could think of, viz. by putting an impressive farewell address in
his mouth. For the composition of this speech Ammianus draws
on various literary traditions; the result is an admirable piece of
writing,whichhonoursthereputationoftheonlyindisputablehero