Justin's abbreviated version of the lost Philippic History by Pompeius Trogus, a massive account of the non-Roman world and its civilizations, complements Livy's history and traces similar moral themes. It became one of the most widely read and influential books in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, surviving in more than 200 manuscripts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 11 June 2024
Publisher: Harvard University Press

A Condensed Roman History of Non-Roman Civilizations

A condensed Roman history of non-Roman civilizations is attributed to Justin (Marcus Junianus Justinus), who is otherwise unknown. He is attributed with an abbreviated version of the lost Philippic History by Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus, a massive account of the non-Roman world and its civilizations, from mythic beginnings through Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic kingdoms, and Parthia. Trogus' work complemented the monumental history of Rome by his Augustan contemporary, Livy, and traced similar moral themes: rulers and states that lack such virtues as moderation, justice, and piety bring harm or ruin on themselves, and often on their realms as well. Justin, working at some time in the late second to the late fourth century AD, did not produce a strict epitome or summary but what he calls "a brief anthology": not unlike Florus (LCL 231), who used Livy's history as the primary source for a brief but original military history of Rome, Justin freely selected what suited his own purposes, favoring "what makes pleasurable reading or serves to provide a moral," with an eye to the kind of emotive anecdotes that might be useful to orators. He also blends Trogus' language with borrowings from literature of subsequent generations. Justin's anthology became one of the most widely read and influential books in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, indeed the main authority on world history other than Roman, surviving in more than 200 manuscripts. Also included in this edition are the "Prologues," summaries of Trogus by some other compiler, which preserve many details that Justin omits or reports differently.

Weight: 310g
Dimension: 169 x 116 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674997615