The Roman Empire of Ammianus
by John Matthews
Hardback (Published)
(December 2008)
ISBN: 9780979971327
6.54 x 9.02 inches
Price: $29.95
On back order
John Matthews’ brilliant analysis of Ammianus and his world is foundational for the study of the Roman Empire in the fourth century CE. This new edition of the volume offers a new Introduction by the author, and corrections to the original text.
John Matthews’ brilliant analysis of Ammianus and his world is foundational for the study of the Roman Empire in the fourth century CE. Matthews’ Ammianus is a man very much in touch with his times, engaged in many of the exciting events that he describes, and a commentator motivated by a passionate devotion to justice. The empire that he depicts in The Roman Empire of Ammianus is undergoing a profoundly important intellectual transition as Christians and non-Christians dealt with each other in new ways, and a profoundly important political transition as Rome’s ability to control its frontiers was severely challenged. This new edition of the volume offers a new Introduction by the author, and corrections to the original text. In Matthews’ brilliantly researched and compellingly written pages we encounter brigands, philosophers, bishops, barbarians and one of the most extraordinary figures in all of Roman history: the Emperor Julian, who occupies for Matthews – as he did for Ammianus – a central place in the history of these times. Ammianus has been recognized for centuries as the last great historian of the Classical Latin tradition. It is thanks to Matthews that we can at last begin to appreciate the brilliance and complexity of the tapestry he wove with his words. Praise for this volume: “It is a book that can emphatically be read by the non-specialist… but can be digested at length by the specialist as well. Tacitus without the cattiness? Thucydides without the cynicism? Ammianus has no such vices, and the range and humane curiosity that make him a fit companion for a scholar like Matthews. They work well together.” – Bryn Mawr Classical Review
John Matthews is John M. Schiff Professor of History and Classics at Yale University. He has written extensively on later Roman history, and he received the American Historical Association’s James Henry Breasted Prize for The Journey of Theophanes: Travel, Business, and Daily Life in the Roman East. His other works include Western Aristocracies and Imperial Court, AD 364-425; Political Life and Culture in Late Roman Society; Laying Down the Law: A Study of the Theodosian Code.
- By (author) John Matthews
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