ABSTRACT
In the 380s CE, Ammianus Marcellinus, a retired soldier, wrote his history of the Roman empire beginning with the reign of Nerva (96–98 CE) and continuing to the Battle of Adrianople (378 CE). The last half of his history is extant, covering the years 353–378 CE. These extant books are a history of loss, a history loaded with longing for what could have been, imbued with false nostalgia for a better time when the Roman political system and military operated more fairly and more efficiently. This is especially evident in Ammianus's account of the Emperor Julian, whose short tumultuous reign culminated in his death during his disastrous invasion of Persia. In the post-Julianic books, Ammianus's history becomes increasingly negative, as he struggles to avoid the kind of bloody, grim story, more suitable to tragedy than the triumphalism of Classicizing historiography.
