ABSTRACT
In the annals of late Roman secular historiography, the figure of Ammianus Marcellinus towers over all other secular historians of his age. His Res gestae-the product of an eventful military career in several spheres of operations under two emperors and years of assiduous research in Rome-was intended to be a continuation of the work of Tacitus down to his own times (i.e. 96-378 A.D.). The first thirteen books of this monumental work, covering the period from Nerva to the revolt of Magnentius under Constantius II (96353 A.D.), have sadly vanished without trace, save for a few crossreferences to them in the surviving books. Although the coverage of this early period could not have been as extensive as that of his own times-the eighteen extant books cover a period of only twenty-five years (cf. Matthews, 1989:29-30)—the loss of the books covering the history after the mid-third century is nevertheless grievous, as the works of the main historians of the third century like Dio Cassius and Herodian, all written in Greek, did not go beyond the Severan dynasty and the one important historical work which covers the period of the Gothic invasion of the late 260s, the Chronica of the Athenian Dexippus, has survived only in fragments. Moreover, Ammianus’ penchant for accuracy, his excellent understanding of Roman political life, his personal experience of military matters and his even-handed treatment of religious matters would have made him a unique authority on the reigns of Diocletian and Constantine, a period which witnessed profound political and religious change. The work would also have acted as a valuable counterweight to those of the emergent ranks of Christian historians (see below, Appendix) whose interest in political events was often restricted to
ways in which they affected the relationship between the imperial government and the Christian Church.
