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Ammianus Marcellinus 15.5.22 and Eutropius 10.16.1: an allusion

Ammianus Marcellinus 15.5.22 and Eutropius 10.16.1: an allusion
Ammianus Marcellinus 15.5.22 and Eutropius 10.16.1: an allusion
In Authority and Tradition in Ancient Historiography, John Marincola downplays the importance of an historian's choice to use first-, rather than third-, person verbs to represent his actions as an historical protagonist within his narrative. Marincola's justification for this rests on the incongruous groupings that arise if one divides first-person narrators from third: among the former we find Velleius, Eutropius and Ammianus representing Latin historians of the Empire. However, as part of a wider study which examines Ammianus' nuanced use of allusion to earlier Latin authors, Gavin Kelly has recently argued for a series of close intertextual relationships between Eutropius and Ammianus. I argue here that Ammianus' relationship with Eutropius also extends to their personal roles within their narratives, and that Ammianus' use of the first person singular makes a bold statement about his historiographical programme.
0009-8388
424-427
Ross, Alan
e487447e-3b04-48a3-9dd3-e0e5988b3f98
Ross, Alan
e487447e-3b04-48a3-9dd3-e0e5988b3f98

Ross, Alan (2015) Ammianus Marcellinus 15.5.22 and Eutropius 10.16.1: an allusion. The Classical Quarterly, 65 (1), 424-427. (doi:10.1017/S0009838814000731).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In Authority and Tradition in Ancient Historiography, John Marincola downplays the importance of an historian's choice to use first-, rather than third-, person verbs to represent his actions as an historical protagonist within his narrative. Marincola's justification for this rests on the incongruous groupings that arise if one divides first-person narrators from third: among the former we find Velleius, Eutropius and Ammianus representing Latin historians of the Empire. However, as part of a wider study which examines Ammianus' nuanced use of allusion to earlier Latin authors, Gavin Kelly has recently argued for a series of close intertextual relationships between Eutropius and Ammianus. I argue here that Ammianus' relationship with Eutropius also extends to their personal roles within their narratives, and that Ammianus' use of the first person singular makes a bold statement about his historiographical programme.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 2 April 2015
Published date: 1 May 2015
Organisations: History

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Local EPrints ID: 389494
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/389494
ISSN: 0009-8388
PURE UUID: 2e0cb880-780b-4320-a4c1-f6d846181a4e

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Date deposited: 08 Mar 2016 12:28
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 23:04

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Author: Alan Ross

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