Ammianus Marcellinus

Ammianus Marcellinus (born , died –400) was a Roman soldier and historian. He wrote historical records from Ancient history until now. His work Res Gestae tells the history of Rome from the reign of Emperor Nerva in 96 to the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. However, today only the part covering the years 353–378 still exists.

 Evaluation 
Edward Gibbon described Ammianus as “an accurate and faithful guide,” who wrote about his own time without strong bias or passion, which often influenced people of his age." However, Gibbon also criticized Ammianus for his rough writing style. He said that Ammianus used a crude and plain pen to describe violent characters in a dull and unpleasant way. The Austrian historian Ernst Stein praised Ammianus as “the greatest literary genius produced by the world between the times of Tacitus and Dante.”.

According to Kimberly Kagan, in his descriptions of battles, Ammianus focused mainly on the experiences of soldiers and did not explain the wider background. As a result, readers may find it hard to understand why the battles ended as they did.

Ammianus’s work also includes a detailed description of a tsunami that destroyed the city of Alexandria and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea on July 21, 365. His account accurately describes typical effects of an earthquake, including the sea pulling back and a sudden tsunami rushing in.

 References 

 Sources 





Category:330s births
Category:390s deaths
Category:Roman people
Category:Historians