Abridgement of Roman History: A Concise Survey of Rome from Its Legendary Foundation to the Age of Valens

Eutropius's *Abridgement of Roman History* (*Breviarium ab Urbe Condita*) condenses Rome's history from the foundation of the city to the accession of the emperor Jovian in 364 CE into ten lucid books. Its chronological arrangement, economical narration, and restrained Latin exemplify the late-antique breviary, a practical form designed to make an immense historical tradition accessible to educated readers and administrators. Eutropius gives particular attention to wars, magistracies, imperial successions, and military achievement, while occasionally offering judgments on character and policy. Though selective and shaped by an imperial viewpoint, the work preserves valuable evidence and reflects how Rome's republican and imperial past was organized for fourth-century consumption; its concise style also made it an influential model for later historians and chroniclers. Eutropius was a Roman official and historian active during the reign of the emperor Valens. His administrative career, association with the imperial court, and familiarity with military and governmental affairs informed his emphasis on institutions, campaigns, and rulers. The work was likely composed to provide Valens and his contemporaries with a manageable historical survey, one that connected the late Roman Empire to the authority and achievements of its predecessors. Eutropius's perspective is therefore neither that of an antiquarian merely collecting facts nor of a rhetorician pursuing elaborate literary display, but of a cultivated civil servant translating historical memory into useful political knowledge. Readers interested in Roman political culture, imperial ideology, historiography, or the development of concise historical writing will find this book especially rewarding. Its brevity makes it an excellent introduction to Rome's long history, while its omissions, emphases, and judgments invite more advanced reflection on how the fourth century understood the Roman past. The *Abridgement* is consequently valuable both as a readable narrative and as a revealing document of late-antique historical consciousness.

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Oversættere: John Selby Watson

Udgivelsesdato

E-bog: 8. december 2023