Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXIX

Download or read book Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXIX written by Jan den Boeft and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2013-11-25 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book 29 opens with the judicial terror in Antioch following the discovery of a plot against the emperor in the East, Valens, who played an active role in hunting down and executing the culprits. The account of these internal troubles is balanced by two long chapters at the end of the book dealing with warfare in Africa and Central Europe. The general Theodosius mercilessly crushed the revolt of the Moorish prince Firmus, while the emperor in the West, Valentinian, had to deal with violent invasions of the Quadi and the Sarmatians. The two central chapters are devoted to different aspects of Valentinian’s character, his cruelty on the one hand, his diligence in reinforcing the border defenses on the other.