THE HISTORIANS OF LATE ANTIQUITY The fourth and fifth centuries AD were an era of religious conflict, political change, and military struggle. The responses of contemporary historians to these turbulent times reflect their diverse backgrounds—they were both Christian and pagan, writing in Greek and Latin, and documenting church and state. This volume is the first accessible survey of the lives and works of these historians. Chapters 1–12 explore the structure, style, purpose, and nature of their writings. Chapters 13–19 compare and contrast the information they provide, and the views they express, on topics central to the period. These range from historiography, government, and religion to barbarian invasions, and the controversial emperors Julian ‘The Apostate’ and Theodosius I. This much-needed introductory work is an invaluable guide and reference tool for the study of late antiquity. David Rohrbacher is Assistant Professor of Classics at New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida. THE HISTORIANS OF LATE ANTIQUITY David Rohrbacher London and New York First published 2002 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. © 2002 David Rohrbacher All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-45875-3 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-76699-7 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-20458-5 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-20459-3 (pbk) CONTENTS Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations viii Introduction 1 1 Ammianus Marcellinus 14 2 Aurelius Victor 42 3 Eutropius 49 4 Festus 59 5 Eunapius 64 6 Olympiodorus 73 7 Priscus 82 8 Rufinus 93 9 Socrates 108 10 Sozomen 117 11 Theodoret 126 12 Orosius 135 13 Historiography 150 v CONTENTS 14 Government 163 15 The Roman past 179 16 Religion 188 17 Barbarians 207 18 The emperor Julian (the Apostate) 237 19 The emperor Theodosius I (the Great) 274 Bibliography 289 Index 307 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people aided me in the writing of this book. I thank Richard Stoneman and Catherine Bousfield at Routledge for their patience. The completion of the manuscript was aided by a grant from the Division of Sponsored Research at the University of South Florida. Thanks are also due to Holly Barone, Ed Foster, and the staff at interlibrary loan at New College of Florida and the University of South Florida, the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Durham, Anne Ankers and the staff at Hatfield College, my colleagues in the Department of Classics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the staff at interlibrary loan at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, my colleagues and students at New College of Florida, Michael Clater and the staff of the library at Clearwater Christian College, Katherine Maynard, Leo Allen, Jared and Casey Wilson, Julie Hayward, Donn D’Alessio, and my mother and father. This book, like so many other things, suffers from the absence of the discriminating eye of my father-in- law, Paul Latowsky, who passed away during its preparation. I owe an incalculable debt to my wife, Anne, who edited the manuscript and suffered with me through its creation. I dedicate this book to her, with thanks and love. vii ABBREVIATIONS Amm. Ammianus of Marcellinus Aug. Augustine of Hippo cod. codex (book) Cod. Th. Codex Theodosianus (Theodosian Code) comm. ad Ezech. Commentarium ad Ezechiel (Commentary on the book of Ezechiel) comm. ad Zach. Commentarium ad Zacbariam (Commentary on the book of Zachariah) dem. evang. Demonstratio Evangelica (The Proof of the Gospel) ep. epistula (letter) Eun. Eunapius Eus. Eusebius of Caesarea Eut. Eutropius Fest. Festus fr. fragmentum (fragment) HE Historia Ecclesiastica (Church History) hist. relig. Historia Religiosa (History of the Monks) ILS H.Dessau, Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae Jer. Jerome KG Kaisergeschichte Jul. Julian or. oratio (oration) pref. preface Ruf. Rufinus scr. orig. const. T.Preger, Scriptores Originum Constantinopolitianarum Soc. Socrates Soz. Sozomen Sym. Symmachus Theod. Theodoret Vell. Pat. Velleius Paterculus Vic. Aurelius Victor vir. ill. De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men) Zos. Zosimus viii INTRODUCTION Interest in late antiquity has increased dramatically in recent decades, and the profusion of scholarly work on the subject shows no sign of abating. The scope of “late antiquity” itself has undergone an expansion both chronologically and geographically. Events as early as the second and as late as the tenth centuries have been described as “late antique,” as have events in the histories of Iran, Africa, and Arabia. This book takes a comparatively restricted view of the term “late antique,” treating only what seems still to be the core of the late antiquity, the fourth and fifth centuries in the Roman empire. During these two centuries, the empire became Christian, and the political unity of the Mediterranean was sundered by the end of imperial rule over the western provinces. (Useful modern introductions to the period include Jones 1964, 1966; Brown 1971; Cameron 1993a, 1993b; Bowersock et al. 1999.) Scholarly interpretations of the transformations which took place during late antiquity have been altered by the continual accumulation of new sources of information, such as new archaeological exploration and analysis. Just as important as the new data, however, have been changes in attitude and perspective. What had once been seen only as a melancholy time of “Decline and Fall” is now more likely to be celebrated for its new and innovative approaches to religion, art, and culture. Modern judgements on late antiquity are certain to be influenced by modern sentiments about Christianity, empire, and multiculturalism. This study seeks not to pass new judgement on this complex period, but to better illuminate how it was perceived by those living and writing at the time. 1