Kate Playground 2009 Posts

Greek historians of imperial times; PAUSANIA

I created the first version of this post in December 2008. I decided to remake it because the Graecapta Group at the University of Navarra is now studying the linguistic and cultural otherness of the Empire by focusing precisely on a corpus of historians, Greek and Latin, pagan and Christian. At the time the painted bald revamp made this post. Hopefully

be useful for those interested historians and history of those centuries as turbulent.

1.

APPROACH By 100 d. C. can see a new revival of historiography. This period is usually a tendency to overall exposure, as evidenced by the titles of the works of Appian and Dio Cassius:

• Appian (S. II; Roman History);
• Dio Cassius (SS. II / III; Roman History).

The audience for this type of work no longer seems to have been satisfied with the great synthesis of late Hellenism, as

• the lost work of Strabo , the Historik Hupomnemata ;
• the Roman Antiquities of Dionysius of Halicarnassus .

Many of the works written in the lee of this new historiographic efforts are lost. Consider p. eg. in Phlegon of Tales (freedman of Hadrian, Olympics, had chronic character) or Claudio Carax (Senator of the circle of Marcus Aurelius, Stories ).

of the works that have survived the first try of the historians of Rome: Appian, Cassius Dio, Herodian, Zosimus. After
discuss Arrian, who chose the theme of his work historiographical a Greek case, the Expedition of Alexander .
Finally periegeta try the case par excellence of Greece, Pausanias, who belongs to this segment of history.

• A Josephus you can include, obviously, on this issue. But I preferred to refer to it in the entry on Hebrew literature in Greek and in order to study the cultural context.
• For the same reason (put them in their cultural context) also includes the case of Christian historians: think p. eg. in the work of historiography Eusebius.

2. Appian, Roman History

Appian (around 95 - 165) came from Alexandria and arrived in Rome in 130 to work as a lawyer , causidicus . Although the preface to his work announced that there is a Autobiography of Appian, the fact is that we have no testimony or her appointment.
In Rome, Fronton took under his wing and got him Appian range of attorney after the 161: to obtain this position meant having Roman citizenship and belonging to the class of equites .
In this sense, Appian is an example how perfect the upper East and achieve integrated knew important positions in the administration of the Empire.

His work is historiographical Roman History in 24 books, composed about 165: of the original work is kept about half of the books, and among these are the 5 special way dedicated to civil wars Romans.

• What remains is the preface, the books 6 to 8, 9 parts, books 11 to 17, plus summaries of other books and fragments. Cf
• Gredos translation of Sancho Royo (1980 and 1985, 3 volumes).

is interesting that the basic criterion from which the story unfolds of Appian is not chronological but geographical and ethnographic, as he says and explains in the introduction. At this point seems to follow, with due differences, the model Herodotus.
However, this pattern raises enough problems. Appian
therefore, that your readers do not lose the overview of the events (which sometimes have implications for different scenarios), you must have frequent recourse to cross-references and summaries.

Take a book of his History each of the villages which is contacting Rome. In the book corresponding contact tells the story of the people with Rome until the time of its integration into the Empire.

• Thus the work includes p. eg. a book on Libya, another on Iberia
• etc ... Spain has granted, logically enough attention to the book on Iberia: cf. p. eg. Sancho Royo 1973 (Numancia).
• There are also books that speak of the great rival of Rome, and Hannibal and Mithridates. See also what has been said before about the 5 books of the Civil Wars , its own right.

In Book V of the Civil Wars surviving account is discontinued, reaching up to 35 a. C., or what is the same: we do not read anything about the annexation of Egypt.
But we know from the Preface that Appian granting it a special value (symbolic) to the annexation of Egypt, his homeland: from that moment, had to say, had established a regime of peace and justice.

words: Appian does not comprehend the history of Rome as a simple history of this city but, ultimately, a world history, a history of prouinciae as a story of universal unity fostered by the power of urbs .

This mental attitude is characteristic of S. II, at which intensifies the indoor unit within Empire.

Appian grant that desire for unity to give historical depth as well, to old jealousy and clichés about the relationship between Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, etc ...

• are in obvious admiration the work by the Caesars, the Egyptian Appian considered as successors of the Ptolemies. That admiration is
• personal note Appian puts in his work, a work which for a long time did not reveal his literary production: instead, they may be answered over the question of the author's sources (cf. Sancho Royo 1980, 13-16; Hose 1994, 142-355) and the credit they deserved their historical information.

In this connection we will say only that he read Latin authors to document. Though not much given to quoting, refers by name

• Claudio Paulo (by their Annals )
• Julius Caesar (by The Gallic Wars )
• Augustus (by their Memories )
• Asinius Pollio (by their stories ).

also had to handle other Roman authors who are not quoted by name.


3. Dio Cassius, Roman History

Dion Casio Cocceianus (ca. 155 - to the 235) belonged to a family originally from Bithynia and settled in Rome. Possibly (but not certain) Dio Cassius was born in Bithynia itself in Nicea.
His father was a senator (like so many other important citizens of East) and Consul.
He also held various public positions of importance (senator, magistrate, proconsul ...) and was consul twice:

• during the reign of Septimius Severus was consul suffectus;
• in 229 was consul ordinarius along with the Emperor Alexander Severus. Dio Cassius

happens to be the most important Greek historian of the Imperial age.
Between 194 and 216 composed a Roman History in 80 books, to be dealt with from the beginning of the city to the 229 (year of his second consulate).
Other works attributed to Dio Cassius and losses are a notable Arian and two letters of propaganda, made to mark the accession to the throne of Septimius Severus, "the new Augustus."

• of the work (Roman History ) retains all the book 36 - 60 (dealing with the years 68 BC - 47 d. C.).
• also retain parts of the books 79 to 80 through summaries Byzantines, the epitome of Xifilino and Universal History of Zonaras . Cf

Gredos translation: books I-XXXV (D. Placido 2004); Books XXXVI-XLV (Candau Morón and Gates Brown 2004).

For some of the events recounted in the book 36 - 60, Dio Cassius also may be relevant to and confront the Annals of Tacitus, as a historian employed and other sources.
Of course, as in the case of Appian, one of the issues more discussion about Dio Cassius has been to historical sources on which it is expressed vague. We
, p. eg., who must use the Annals , and indeed his work has a certain aspect Analist, although it would be an exaggeration to say with some critics that his work is not a story but a few records.

The tone and method intended to be objective, somewhat in line Thucydides, but as a historian, despite being so popular in Byzantium, is well below the model, for example, contrast sources or analyzed rigorously.
also often said that in reality is a mistake historiographical expressed his resignation to expose what he regards as detail: it is clear that on many occasions, these details can be very meaningful.

point of view of Dio Cassius is a senator who favors the monarchy. This is shown in the scene depicted in the book 52:
At the conclusion of civil wars, Augustus deliberations with his advisers, Agrippa and Maecenas on the political form to be taken thereafter Rome.

• Agrippa is in favor of the republic. Maecenas
• , however, calls for a monarchy that respects the Senate.

In this appeal to respect Senate beats the experience of a senatorial class who has been threatened many times by Caesars despotic. Dio Cassius
is convinced of the necessity of the Empire. But, when compared with Appian, note that he, despite having held positions as important, no longer has the full confidence of his predecessor in the greatness of Rome.
In the time since the time he wrote Appian had surfaced too many contradictions in the Empire.


4. Herodian

The situation changes further from S. III. In these troubled times, shown a growing interest in the story nearest as well exemplified in the work of Herodian (c. 180 - after 238). Herodian
comes from Syria, like many other writers of the time. He must occupy positions in government, but possibly of lower rank, must have been a freedman of the imperial house.
is the author of a History of the Roman Empire after Marcus Aurelius : no translation in Gredos (Torres Esbarranch 1985).

in 8 books, the book deals with the time elapsed between the death of Marcus Aurelius (180) and the year 238 (rise of Gordian III). The set looks like a collection of biographies of the Caesars juxtaposed.
The play presents a series of Caesars as a string in progressive degeneration. The incompetence of successive governments highlights the more so compared to the model of Marcus Aurelius, presented in the book I.

Note that the Herodian period was really speaking for the institution turbulent imperial

• there while several individuals who claimed to Caesars;
enough
• the rule of them lasted only days
• media was used as poison or bribery to gain the throne;
• and put the military and deposed rulers. As

historian Herodian out badly when compared to Dio Cassius, as has been done many times without it not one second Thucydides, the truth is that Herodian out worse off as an analyst of events.
But on the other hand, it must be recognized in certain literary merits, as p. eg. their ability to write episodes of dramatic effectiveness. P.
eg., conveys the image Herodian

• fighting as a gladiator Commodus (I 15);
Caracalla
• causing a bloodbath with the followers of his brother Geta (IV 6);
• or the follies of Elagabalus (V 5, 8).

To end Herodian may be recalled that, despite all its limitations, the Patriarch Photios it appreciated his style and his merits as a historian.


5. MINOR HISTORIANS. Zosimus

Herodian's work also can be placed in relation to certain minor historians whose works are lost.

These works focus on short chronological segments (at least by comparison with the great historical works of the early centuries of the Empire), is an interesting fact that, starting from Herodian, his works are concatenating:

Dexippus The Athenian (circa 210 to 275, FGrH 100) developed an intense political military and historiography.
As a historian, wrote four books of the Diadochi History (a work in which you might want to continue the work of Arrian, see below) and a chronic ( Chronik Historical background), a kind of Universal History in at least 12 books that began

• by
• early times and came to Claudio "Gothic" (famous primarily because he happens to be martyred Valentine).

On the organization of the work, it has been assumed (Blockley) that would be a mere chronicle, a sort of table of the rulers. But this point view had been challenged by Jacoby.
also wrote three books of Scythian on barbarian raids against the Empire, it seems that from the year 238 until the time of Aurelian (274).

• Eunapius (345 - to 420), author on the other side of a brief on the Lives of the Sophists , wrote a historiographical ( hupomnemata Historik ) which continued the work of Dexippus (the Chronicle ) from the 270 to the 404.En Eunapius be seen as, indeed, anti-Christian orientation.

• Olympiodorus of Thebes (Egypt) lived in the SS. IV and V (ca. 370 - post 425). Eunapius continued the work of dealing with the time between the 407 and 425.Su work consisted of 22 books and, as he himself recognized, was less a work of history as a collection of materials, often based on their own memories.

• Prisco of Panion, Thrace, (S. V) continued to turn Olympiodorus work in their own Byzantine History (8 books), possibly the work began in 433/434 (Atila) and reached the 471.

• Malco Philadelphia, Syria, lived around the year 500, continued to work in a book entitled Prisco Byzantiaká , which was essentially developments of the Eastern Empire (between 473 and 491). Both
  for Malco Prisco as it is educated and experienced, which makes it all the more regrettable that we know more about them.

(On all these historians, cf. Blockley 1981 and 1983). Among

IV and V centuries historians of Rome wrote other works which have preserved themselves: Ammianus Marcellinus, a Syrian who wrote in Latin (by the way, the first author of the Greek East leaving the Greek culture of Latin), and Zosimus.

Zosimus, Syrian or Palestinian, lived from 425 to 518.
Pagano, aduocatus fisci , wrote a New History had six books published after the death of the author and do not receive the last hand, which is why p. eg., Book 6 ends, for no apparent reason, at 410. There

Gredos translation: Candau Morón 1992.

The New History , Zosimus blamed the collapse of Rome to Christianity and the subsequent abandonment of the ancient traditions.

His work in 6 books was central figure of Julian, called the "apostate", the emperor who tried unsuccessfully to revive the ancient paganism.
In total, the work extended from Augustus to 410. But in the first 20 chapters of the book I had already reached the year 250.
Then, the third book was devoted entirely to Julian.
From the point of view, it looks to have built on the number of authors (Dexippus to Malco), of which we have discussed before; Lendle understand that their main sources were Eunapius and Olympiodorus.
However, methodologically, Zosimus debt is set to Polybius, as he expressly states (I 57, 1):

• If Polybius narrated the rise of Rome
• Zosimus wants to be who, by contrast, narrates the sinking and the reasons for it.

Zosimus' work is the only preserved Greek tale of Late Antiquity, seen from a pagan perspective.

This is the time we leave the number of historians of Rome and we turn to the discordant figure Arrian.


6. Arrian, ALEJANDRO TRIP

Arrian was born between 1985-1990 and died about 170.
Age of Nicomedia (Bithynia, in modern Turkey). His father must have had Roman citizenship.
was a student of Epictetus, whom he heard at Nicopolis. (Epirus). Then he moved to Rome in time of Hadrian, philhellenes. Under the emperor
won seats in the imperial administration. In that sense, his career was very similar to that of Dio Cassius (also a native of Bithynia):

• in 130 was consul suffectus ;
• between the 131/132 and 137 administered as a province of Cappadocia l egatus Augusti pro praetor.

Later, Arrian retired from the administration, received Athenian citizenship and held various positions in the city (the eponymous archon in 147 / 148).
At the time, Arrian was best known as a philosopher (as a transmitter of the teachings of his master Epictetus) that as a historian.
do not know to what extent the latter Diatribes (95 short lectures or sermons) are ipsissima uerba Epictetus or the extent to which Arrian was able to add things of his own, though it denies such an extent in the introduction to writing.
Moreover, the philosophical works of Arrian original have been lost (or retained fragments.)
while performing their duties in the administration, Arrian also wrote other works

• Periplous Ponti Euxini : Arian wrote his works in Greek, but from official reports written by him in Latin 130/131 published it in the form of a letter addressed to the emperor.
tactic
• a treaty (an "art of tactics"), published in 136, from his own military experiences.

When he settled in Athens, Arrian was devoted to historiography: it sees itself as "the new Xenophon, and therefore writes

• lives lost, in imitation of the model of Xenophon (eg wrote. a Agesilaus )
• also writes a Hunting , in imitation of its model compound;
• and writes, above all, his Anabasis of Alexander (cf. trans. Guzmán War in 1982) which, like Xenophon, consists of seven books, imitating the style of his model.

Arrian notes, among most historians of Alexander, because it strives to write a story that is not fantastic (as usual in his own time) and follows the facts.
therefore used as sources, above all, Ptolemy and Aristobulus, Alexander's contemporaries and witnesses of what they narrate. Arrian
contrasts what Ptolemy says the information from "the Vulgate" ( tà legomena ).
Ptolemy was interested in his work on However, for the military and political, much less by the geographical and ethnographic. And equally, as regards the character of Alexander, Arrian prefers to focus on the narrative of military events and devotes less attention to the political aspects of the character.
On the other hand, the preference for the obvious military relates to the very nature of Arrian's life: his military experiences should enable it to assess sources such as Ptolemy's texts to an extent that they should escape to other writers.
In any case, Arrian is the writer to whom we owe the most realistic image of the figure of Alexander, than the hero of romance found in other texts.

In addition to the Anabasis of Alexander also wrote a book on India periegético character: usually include, as a kind of appendix, translations of the main work (cf. trans. De Guzman Guerra).
Moreover, Arrian wrote also an example of "local history", a type of common history in his time: a story of Bithynia, in 8 books, lost as all the examples of these "local stories."


7. Pausanias, PERIÉGESIS

As we said at the beginning of this presentation, we will close this topic talking about Pausanias (c. 115 - 180).

is the author of a work in ten books, a Description of Greece. Book by book will describe territories of Greece, with its landmarks and monuments preserved in them.
(Start with the attic and then continues along the Mediterranean Greece and the Peloponnese).
description itself alternates with the digressions in which we talk about history

• ritual traditions
• local versions of the Panhellenic myths. Occasionally

appointment and so is sometimes the only source for the transmission of texts. Furthermore
hand, it is interesting to note how Pausanias select what is worthy of being seen and described (cf. Kreiling 1997): p. eg., Pausanias focuses on the memories of archaic and classical, not fixed in the Hellenistic and Imperial times, that is, from Greece presents an idealized and idealizing perspective, with which his audience should be identified.

Joseph B. Torres Guerra

SOME REFERENCES:

* On the historiography of the Empire in general
TEJERA DÍAZ, A., "The historiography of the imperial era," in A. Lopez Ferez (ed.), History la Literatura Griega , Madrid, 1988, pp. 1065-1108.
PANTS, M., renewal of the past. The historian of the Roman Empire to Cassius Dio Florus , Stuttgart-Leipzig, 1994.
KOLB, F., literary relations between Casius Dio, Herodian and Historia Augusta , Bonn, 1972. .
REBENICH, ST, "Historical Prose," de St. E. Porter (ed.), Handbook of Classical Rhetoric in the Hellenistic Period 330 BC - AD 400 , Leiden, 1997, pp. 265-337.
* Sobre Apiano:
Brodersen, K., "Appian and his work," ANRW II 34.1 (1993), pp. 339-363.
Goldmann, B., uniformity und der Roman History Eigenständigkeit des Appia, Hildesheim, 1988.
Kober, M., Die Politische Anfänge Octavian in der Darstellung des Velleius und Dessen Verhältnis zur Tradition historiographischen: ein philologischer Quellenvergleich: Nikolaus von Damaskus, Appiano von Alexandria, Velleius Paterculus , Würzburg, 2000.
Sancho Royo, A., "Around the Numantinum of Appian Bellum" There 4 (1973), pp. 23-40.
Sancho Royo, A., "General Introduction" in Appian. Roman history , Madrid, 1980, pp. 7-42. * About
Dio:
FREYBURG-Galland, ML, Aspect du Vocabulaire politique et institutionnel de Dion Cassius , Paris, 1997.
MANUWALD, B., Cassius Augustus und God, Wiesbaden, 1979.
MARTINELLI, G., The last century of studies on Dio , Genova, 1999.
MILLAR, F., A Study of Cassius God, Oxford, 1964.
SWAN, PM, The Augustana Succession: an Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio's Roman History, Books 55-56 (9 BC-AD 14) , Oxford, 2004. Sobre
* Herod, Dexipo historiadores menores y otros:
Blockley, RC, The Fragmentary Classicising Historians of the Later Roman Empire, Liverpool , 1981 y 1983.
Hohl, E., Kaiser Pertinax Thronbesteigung und die im Lichte der seines Nachfolgers Herodiankritik , Berlin, 1956.
Lucarini, M. (Ed.), Herodianus. Regnum post Marcum, Munich, 2005.
MILLAR, F., "P. Herennius Dexippus: The Greek World and the Third Century Invasions, "JRS 59 (1969), pp. 12-29.
ESBARRANCH TORRES, JJ, "Introduction", in Herodian. History of the Roman Empire after Marcus Aurelius , Madrid, 1985, pp. 7-84.
* About Arrian:
BOSWORTH, AB, "Arrian's Literary Development", CQ 22 (1972), pp. 163-185.
BRAVO GARCÍA, A., "Introduction" in A. Guzmán Guerra (trans.), Arrian. Anabasis of Alexander , Madrid, Gredos, 1982, Volume I, pp. 7-108.
STADT, PA, Arrian of Nicomedia , Chapel Hill, 1980.
Vidal-Naquet, P., tests historiography: Greek historiography under the Roman Empire: Arrian and Josephus , Madrid, 1990. * On Pausanias
:
Habicht, CHR., Pausanias und seine "Beschreibung Griechenlands" , Munich, 1985.
HEER, J., The PERSONALITE Pausanias, Paris, 1979.
Herrero Ingelmo, M. ª C., "Introduction", in Pausanias. Description Greece, Madrid, 1994, pp. 7-77.
Kreiling, U., "tou Pausaníou axiologótata Tà . Die Kunstauswahlkriterien des Pausanias " Hermes 125 (1997), pp. 470-491.
Musti, D. and Torelli, M. (Eds.), Pausania. Guida della Greece, Rome-Milan, Fondazione Lorenzo Valla, 1982 -.
Musti, D. (Ed.), Pausanias historien , Geneva, 1996.