Ammianus Marcellinus From Soldier to Author

Ammianus Marcellinus composed a history of the Roman empire from 96 AD to 378 AD, focusing on the mid-fourth century during which he served in the army. His experience as a soldier during this period provides crucial realia of warfare, while his knowledge of literature, especially the genre of historiography, enabled him to imbue his narrative with literary flair. This book explores the tension between Ammianus’ roles as soldier and author, examining how his military experience affected his history, and conversely how his knowledge of literature affected his descriptions of the Roman army.

Michael P. Hanaghan, Ph.D. (2015), the University of Sydney, is Research Fellow in the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at Australian Catholic University. He is author of Reading Sidonius’ Epistles (Cambridge, 2019) and numerous articles, including several on Ammianus.
David Woods, Ph.D. (1991), the Queen’s University of Belfast, is the Head of the Department of Classics at University College Cork, Ireland. He is the author of numerous articles on the military and political history of the Roman Empire.
Contributors are: Agnese Bargagna, Maxime Emion, Michael Hanaghan, Gavin Kelly, J.E. Lendon, Moysés Marcos, Sigrid Mratschek, Philip Rance, Álvaro Sánchez-Ostiz, Conor Whately, Jeroen Wijnendaele, Guy Williams, David Woods, Michael Wuk

"This volume represents a significant change in approaches to military history and military texts since then. Here the study of the social and psychological aspects of warfare takes precedence over analysis of commanders, equipment, or set-piece conflicts. Above all, the effects of the literary turn are felt throughout, even in Part II all the chapters are aware of Ammianus’ abilities to shape his representation of re-ality. The editors have assembled an impressive set of essays that showcase the complexity of Ammianus’ military material, and the multiple influences that shape his presentation of military life, campaigns, and culture." Alan J. Ross, Plekos 25, 2023

"Un volume miscellaneo presenta ovviamente contributi in cui si adottano differenti punti di vista e approcci. Ma è proprio questo aspetto che bene si adatta all’opera di Ammiano, la quale fornisce spunti di riflessione dal punto di vista storiografico, ma anche letterario e filologico. Al riguardo il volume soddisfa il lettore che voglia avere una visione più complessiva e anche bibliograficamente aggiornata sullo storico antiocheno, nella sua doppia veste di militare e di uomo di lettere." Fabrizio Feraco, Bollettino di Studi Latini, Anno LIII - fascicolo II - Luglio-Dicembre 2023.