Books 14–31 of Res Gestae

E792054

Books 14–31 of Res Gestae are the surviving portion of Ammianus Marcellinus’s late Roman historical narrative, covering the mid-fourth-century Roman Empire and serving as a key source for that period.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical work fragment
late Roman historical narrative
author Ammianus Marcellinus NERFINISHED
chronologicalScope mid-4th-century Roman Empire
contains account of the Gothic and other barbarian incursions
account of the death of Emperor Julian (363)
description of the Battle of Strasbourg (357)
descriptions of cities and provinces of the Roman Empire
detailed account of Julian’s Persian campaign
digressions on omens, prodigies, and religious practices
countryOfOrigin Roman Empire NERFINISHED
coverage internal court politics and imperial administration
military campaigns of the late Roman Empire
political history of the Roman Empire in the mid-4th century
relations between Romans and Germanic peoples
relations between Romans and Persians
religious tensions and conflicts in the 4th-century Roman Empire
criticalOf court officials and corruption in the late Roman Empire
excessive luxury and moral decline among Roman elites
followedBy no surviving continuation beyond Book 31
genre historiography
narrative history
historicalMethod combination of eyewitness testimony and use of earlier sources
historicalPeriodDescribed reign of Constantius II NERFINISHED
reign of Jovian
reign of Julian (the Apostate)
reigns of Valentinian I and Valens
influencedBy Sallust NERFINISHED
Tacitus NERFINISHED
language Latin
manuscriptTradition survives in a single medieval manuscript family
narrativePerson third person
originallyDividedInto 18 books (Books 14 through 31)
originalTitle Res Gestae (shared with the whole work) NERFINISHED
partOf Res Gestae (Ammianus Marcellinus) NERFINISHED
perspective written from the viewpoint of a Greek-speaking provincial serving in the Roman army
portrays Emperor Julian in a generally favorable light
precededBy lost Books 1–13 of Res Gestae
significance important source for late Roman social and cultural history
important source for the history of late Roman military institutions
major primary source for the history of the mid-4th-century Roman Empire
principal narrative source for the reign of Emperor Julian
status only surviving books of Ammianus Marcellinus’s Res Gestae
style classicizing Latin historiography
timeOfComposition late 4th century AD
usedAsSourceBy modern historians of Late Antiquity

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ammianus Marcellinus workSurvivingBooks Books 14–31 of Res Gestae