Ammianus Marcellinus From Soldier to Author

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

• ContentsHistoriography of Rome and Its Empire SeriesPrefaceNotes on ContributorsIntroductionMichael Hanaghan and David WoodsPart 1: Ammianus’ Text1 Why We Need a New Edition of Ammianus MarcellinusGavin KellyPart 2: Ammianus’ Military Experience2 Ammianus and the Dignitas ProtectorisMaxime Emion3 Simplicitas Militaris: Ammianus Marcellinus and Sermo CastrensisPhilip Rance4 Ammianus’ Identification of Named Legions and Its Literary SignificanceConor Whately5 Religionibus Firmis Iuramenta Constricta? Ammianus and the Sacramentum MilitiaeMichael Wuk6 Ammianus on Mallobaudes and Magnus Maximus: A Response to Theodosian Discourse?Jeroen WijnendaelePart 3: Ammianus’ Literary Aims and Models7 The Face of Convention: Battle and Siege Description in Ammianus MarcellinusJ. E. Lendon8 The Literary Function of Ammianus’ Criticisms of Military LuxuriaÁlvaro Sánchez-Ostiz9 Coturni Terribilis Fabula (Amm. Marc. 28.6.29): The Goddess of Justice and the Death of Theodosius the ElderSigrid Mratschek10 Ille ut Fax uel Incensus Malleolus: Ammianus and His Swift Narration of Julian’s Balkan Itinerary in 361 CEMoysés Marcos11 The Depiction of the Common Soldier (Miles) in Ammianus and Tacitus and the Intertextual Background of the Res GestaeAgnese Bargagna12 Xenophon and Ammianus: Two Soldier-Historians and Their Persian ExpeditionsGuy WilliamsIndex

"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, in: 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, in: Bollettino di Studi Latini, LIII:II (Luglio-Dicembre 2023)