Ammianus after Julian

The Reign of Valentinian and Valens in Books 26 - 31 of the Res Gestae

Series:

In Books 26–31 Ammianus Marcellinus deals with the period of the emperors Valentinian and Valens. The representatives of the new dynasty differ greatly from their predecessor Julian, both personally and in their style of government. The Empire is divided between the two rulers, and suffers increasingly from barbarian invasions. Faced with these changes, Ammianus adapts his historical method. His treatment of the events becomes less detailed and more critical. The years following on the death of Julian are painted in dark colours, as the disaster at Hadrianople casts its shadow before. The papers in this volume, on History and Historiography, Literary Composition and Crisis of Empire, were presented during the conference "Ammianus after Julian" held in 2005.

Biographical Note

Jan den Boeft, Ph.D. (1970) in Latin, Leiden University, is emeritus Professor of Latin at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and of Hellenistic Religions at Utrecht University. He has published on Ambrose, Augustine and Erasmus and is co-author of the series Philological and Historical Commentaries on Ammianus Marcellinus.
Jan Willem Drijvers, Ph.D. (1989) in History, University of Groningen, is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Groningen. He is author of
Cyril of Jerusalem: Bishop and City (Leiden 2004) and co-author of the series Philological and Historical Commentaries on Ammianus Marcellinus.
Daniël den Hengst, Ph. D. (1981) in Latin, University of Amsterdam, is emeritus Professor of Latin at the University of Amsterdam. He has published on Late Antique Historiography and is co-author of the series Philological and Historical Commentaries on Ammianus Marcellinus.
Hans Teitler, Ph.D. (1983), in Ancient History, Utrecht University, was formerly Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at Utrecht University. He is co-author of the series Philological and Historical Commentaries on Ammianus Marcellinus.

Review Quote

"This is a very important collection, the influence of which is already noticeable in the editors' commentary on Book 26." – Peter O'Brien, in:
Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2008.09.35

Readership

All those interested in (church) history and literature of Late Antiquity, source criticism, literary aspects and historiographical method of Ammianus Marcellinus.