History Of The Empire From The Death Of Marcus

History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus by Herodian is about Roman history after the rule of Marcus Aurelius in which there were battles over the frontier and the coexistence of a wide variety of cultures. Herodian writes that the events described in his history occurred during his lifetime. Photius (Codex 99) gives an outline of the contents of this work and passes a flattering encomium on the style of Herodian, which he describes as clear, vigorous, agreeable, and preserving a happy medium between an utter disregard of art and elegance and a profuse employment of the artifices and prettinesses which were known under the name of Atticism.

Herodian or Herodianus of Syria, sometimes referred to as "Herodian of Antioch" (c. 170 - c. 240), was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus in eight books covering the years 180 to 238. His work is not entirely reliable although his relatively unbiased account of Elagabalus is more useful than that of Cassius Dio. He was a Greek (perhaps from Antioch) who appears to have lived for a considerable period of time in Rome, but possibly without holding any public office. From his extant work, we gather that he was still living at an advanced age during the reign of Gordianus III, who ascended the throne in 238. Beyond this, nothing is known of his life. Herodian writes that the events described in his history occurred during his lifetime. Photius gives an outline of the contents of this work and passes a flattering encomium on the style of Herodian, which he describes as clear, vigorous, agreeable, and preserving a happy medium between an utter disregard of art and elegance and a profuse employment of the artifices and prettinesses which were known under the name of Atticism, as well as between boldness and bombast. He appears to have used Thucydides as a model to some extent, both for style and for the general composition of his work, often introducing speeches wholly or in part imaginary. In spite of occasional inaccuracies in chronology and geography, his narrative is in the main truthful and impartial[citation needed]. However, some charge him with showing too great a partiality for Pertinax. The dates of the birth and death of Herodian are unknown. All available information concerning his life is derived from what he himself wrote, so the evidence is scarce. One can assume that he must have reached the age of ten by the year 180 due to the attentive detail in his descriptions of the events of that time. One notion is that Herodian must have finished writing around 240, which would have made him about 70. He mentions, "My aim is to write a systematic account of the events within a period of seventy years, covering the reigns of several emperors, of which I have personal experience." This reaffirms the notion that Herodian was about 70 years of age when this was written and that the actions did indeed occur during his lifetime. However, it is possible that his history was composed at a later date. Herodian's descriptions of Gordian III are less than flattering, and it is doubtful that he released such a negative review of a current emperor. Following this logic, his history was finished in 244 at the earliest, when Gordian III died. In his first and third books, Herodian mentions the games of Commodus in 192, and the Secular Games of Septimius Severus in 204. If Herodian did attend the games of Commodus, he must have been at least 14 at the time, which is to say that he was born in 178 at the latest.

This extraordinary work on Roman history by J.B. Bury covers the period of more than 200 years from the time of Julius Caesar until the end of Marcus Aurelius' reign. Through the 30 chapters of this book, readers will gain a complete insight into the political history of the golden age of the Roman Empire. Contents: From the Battle of Actium to the Foundation of the Principate The Principate The Joint Government of the Princeps and Senate The Family of Augustus and His Plans to Found a Dynasty Administration of Augustus in Rome and Italy — Organisation of the Army Provincial Administration Under Augustus — the Western Provinces Provincial Administration Under Augustus — the Eastern Provinces and Egypt Rome and Parthia — Expeditions to Arabia and Ethiopia The Winning and Losing of Germany — Death of Augustus Rome Under Augustus — His Buildings Literature of the Augustan Age The Principate of Tiberius (14-37 A.D.) The Principate of Gaius (Caligula) (37-41 A.D.) The Principate of Claudius (41-54 A.D.) The Conquest of Britain The Principate of Nero (54-68 A.D.) The Wars for Armenia, Under Claudius and Nero The Principate of Galba, and the Year of the Four Emperors (68-69 A.D.) Rebellions in Germany and Judea The Flavian Emperors — Vespasian, Titus and Domitian (69-96 A.D.) Britain and Germany Under the Flavians — Dacian War Nerva and Trajan — the Conquest of Dacia Literature From the Death of Tiberius to Trajan The Principate of Hadrian (117-138 A.D.) The Principate of Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.) The Principate of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 A.D.) Literature Under Hadrian and the Antonines The Roman World Under the Empire — Politics, Philosophy, Religion and Art Roman Life and Manners

The book covers the period of more than 200 years from the time of Julius Caesar until the end of Marcus Aurelius' reign. Through the 30 chapters of this book, readers will gain a complete insight into the political history of the golden age of the Roman Empire. Contents: From the Battle of Actium to the Foundation of the Principate The Principate The Joint Government of the Princeps and Senate The Family of Augustus and His Plans to Found a Dynasty Administration of Augustus in Rome and Italy — Organisation of the Army Provincial Administration Under Augustus — the Western Provinces Provincial Administration Under Augustus — the Eastern Provinces and Egypt Rome and Parthia — Expeditions to Arabia and Ethiopia The Winning and Losing of Germany — Death of Augustus Rome Under Augustus — His Buildings Literature of the Augustan Age The Principate of Tiberius (14-37 A.D.) The Principate of Gaius (Caligula) (37-41 A.D.) The Principate of Claudius (41-54 A.D.) The Conquest of Britain The Principate of Nero (54-68 A.D.) The Wars for Armenia, Under Claudius and Nero The Principate of Galba, and the Year of the Four Emperors (68-69 A.D.) Rebellions in Germany and Judea The Flavian Emperors — Vespasian, Titus and Domitian (69-96 A.D.) Britain and Germany Under the Flavians — Dacian War Nerva and Trajan — the Conquest of Dacia Literature From the Death of Tiberius to Trajan The Principate of Hadrian (117-138 A.D.) The Principate of Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.) The Principate of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 A.D.) Literature Under Hadrian and the Antonines The Roman World Under the Empire — Politics, Philosophy, Religion and Art Roman Life and Manners