Roman Historiography: An Introduction to its Basic Aspects and Development (Wiley Introductions to the Classical World) - Softcover

Mehl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1118785134 ISBN 13: 9781118785133

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014

Synopsis

Roman Historiography: An Introduction to its Basic Aspects and Development presents a comprehensive introduction to the development of Roman historical writings in both Greek and Latin, from the early annalists to Orosius and Procopius of Byzantium.

• Provides an accessible survey of every historical writer of significance in the Roman world
• Traces the growth of Christian historiography under the influence of its pagan adversaries
• Offers valuable insight into current scholarly trends on Roman historiography
• Includes a user-friendly bibliography, catalog of authors and editions, and index
• Selected by Choice as a 2013 Outstanding Academic Title

About this title

About the Author

Andreas Mehl is Professor of Ancient History at the Martin Luther University at Halle and Wittenberg. He is the author of Seleukos Nikator und sein Reich (1986); Tacitus über Kaiser Claudius: Die Ereignisse Am Hof (1974); and Römische Geschichtsschreibung: Grundlagen und Entwicklungen: eine Einführung (2001).

Hans-Friedrich Mueller is the William D. Williams Professor of Classics at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He is the author of Roman Religion in Valerius Maximus (2002) and the editor of an abridgment of Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (2003).

From the Back Cover

"An extraordinarily broad and deep introduction, a treasure trove of insights and information that masterfully characterizes the nature and development (ranging over a millennium) of Rome's historiography in its multiple aspects and functions, its originality and debt to others, achievements and shortcomings, and place between history and literature."
Kurt A. Raaflaub, Brown University

"This is a thought-provoking journey through the writing of history in Roman antiquity. Andreas Mehl masterfully unravels the fabric of historical traditions from the Annales to Zosimus."
Hans Beck, McGill University

Named CHOICE Outstanding Title for 2012
"Appropriate for advanced undergraduate students, this work provides a foundation for further study of classical historical writing."
Book News

Roman Historiography: An Introduction to its Basic Aspects and Development presents a comprehensive introduction to the development of Roman historical writings in the ancient world. Andreas Mehl traces the arc of ancient historical writing about Rome from its origins with the authors of clan history and fragmentary annalists to the writings of Byzantine scholar Procopius, the last major historian of the ancient world.

Rooting his survey in the context of its Greek predecessors, and within the broader framework of Roman literature and society, Mehl discusses every historical writer of significance in the ancient Roman era and provides much more than simple biographical detail. Also considered are essential themes such as genre, teleology, the idea of Rome, and exemplary moral conduct. By paying scrupulous attention to political context and religious developments throughout the ancient world, Mehl reveals the evolution and interpenetration of both pagan and Christian historiography.

This title offers a wealth of illuminating insights into the origins and development of the crucial historical writings of the living witnesses to the greatest empire the world has ever known.

From the Inside Flap

"An extraordinarily broad and deep introduction, a treasure trove of insights and information that masterfully characterizes the nature and development (ranging over a millennium) of Rome's historiography in its multiple aspects and functions, its originality and debt to others, achievements and shortcomings, and place between history and literature."
Kurt A. Raaflaub, Brown University

"This is a thought-provoking journey through the writing of history in Roman antiquity. Andreas Mehl masterfully unravels the fabric of historical traditions from the Annales to Zosimus."
Hans Beck, McGill University

Named CHOICE Outstanding Title for 2012
"Appropriate for advanced undergraduate students, this work provides a foundation for further study of classical historical writing."
Book News

Roman Historiography: An Introduction to its Basic Aspects and Development presents a comprehensive introduction to the development of Roman historical writings in the ancient world. Andreas Mehl traces the arc of ancient historical writing about Rome from its origins with the authors of clan history and fragmentary annalists to the writings of Byzantine scholar Procopius, the last major historian of the ancient world.

Rooting his survey in the context of its Greek predecessors, and within the broader framework of Roman literature and society, Mehl discusses every historical writer of significance in the ancient Roman era and provides much more than simple biographical detail. Also considered are essential themes such as genre, teleology, the idea of Rome, and exemplary moral conduct. By paying scrupulous attention to political context and religious developments throughout the ancient world, Mehl reveals the evolution and interpenetration of both pagan and Christian historiography.

This title offers a wealth of illuminating insights into the origins and development of the crucial historical writings of the living witnesses to the greatest empire the world has ever known.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1118785134
• ISBN 13: 9781118785133
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 300