Roman Historians

  • The Roman Period was itself recorded by contemporary Roman Historians.
  • Copies of their books have been preserved through the centuries and now form a large body of historical work.

Ancient Roman Historians: (A-Z)

  • Anonymous (c. 6th century CE) Alexandrian World Chronicle.
  • Ammianus Marcellinus (c. 325/330 CE – c. 392/400 CE) Roman history.
  • Appian (c. 95 – c. 165 CE) Roman history.
  • Arrian (c. 92 – 175 CE) Greek history.
  • Aurelius Victor (c. 320 – c. 390 CE)
  • Avienus (fourth century CE) Roman History.
  • Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160-c. 240 CE)
  • Dio Cassius or Cassius Dio (c. 160 – c. 229 CE) Roman history.
  • Dio Chrysostom (c. 40-115 CE)
  • Diodorus Siculus of Sicily (1st century BCE) Greek history.
  • Diogenes Laertius (c. 200-c. 250 CE) Biographer of the Greek Philosophers.
  • Dionysius of Halicarnassus (c. 60 – c. 7 BCE) Roman history.
  • Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 275 – c. 339 CE) Early Christian.
  • Flavius Eutropius (wrote during the 360’s-370’s CE in Constantinople) Breviarium Historiae Romanae in 10 Books.
  • Lucius Annaeus Florus (c. 74-130 CE) ‘Epitome of Roman History’ in 2 Books.
  • Gaius Acilius (fl. 155 BCE) Roman history
  • Herodian (c. 170 – 240 CE) Roman history.
  • Josephus, Flavius, (37-100 CE) Jewish history
  • Julius Caesar (100 – c. 44 BCE) Gallic Wars and the civil wars.
  • Justin Either the second or fourth century CE. Roman historian.
  • Livy Titus Livius (c. 59 BCE – c. 17 CE) Roman history: ‘Ab urbe condita libri’
  • Lucius Ampelius (c. 3rd century CE) Roman history.
  • Macrobius (370-430 CE) Saturnalia, history of Ancient Roman Religion.
  • Marcus Velleius Paterculus (c. 19 BCE-c. 31 CE) Compendium of Roman history.
  • Philostorgius (368 – c. 439 CE) Early Christian.
  • Pliny the Elder (61-112 CE) Letters Books 1-10.
  • Plutarch (c. 46 – 120 CE) Wrote the ‘Parallel Lives’ of important Greeks and Romans.
  • Polybius (203-c. 120 BCE) early Roman history but written in Greek.
  • Priscus (5th century CE) Byzantine history.
  • Procopius (c. 500-560 CE) Byzantine Historian.
  • Quintus Curtius Rufus (c. 60-70 CE) Greek history.
  • Quintus Fabius Pictor (Born c. 254 BCE) Roman history.
  • Rufinus of Aquileia (c. 340-410 CE) Early Christian.
  • Sallust (86-34 BCE)
  • Salvian (c. 400/405 – c. 493 CE) Early Christian.
  • Sidonius Apollinaris – (c. 430-489 CE) Early Christian Bishop.
  • Socrates of Constantinople (Born c. 380 CE) Early Christian.
  • Sozomen (c. 400 – c. 450 CE) Early Christian.
  • Strabo (c. BCE – c. 24 CE) Greek Geographer and Historian.
  • Suetonius (75-160 CE) Roman emperors of the Flavian dynasty.
  • Tacitus Gaius Cornelius (c. 56 – c. 120 CE) early Roman Empire.
  • Thallus (early 2nd century CE) Roman history
  • Theodoret (c. 393 – c. 457 CE) Early Christian.
  • Unknown (c. 284-339 CE) Historia Augusta
  • Vegetius (c. 390 – c. 450 CE) Roman Military Historian.
  • Zosimus (writing c. 491-518 CE)

Ancient Roman Historians: (by date)

  • Quintus Fabius Pictor (born c. 254 BCE) Roman history.
  • Gaius Acilius (c. 155 BCE) Roman history
  • Polybius (203-c. 120 BCE) early Roman history but written in Greek.
  • Julius Caesar (100 – c.44 BCE) Gallic Wars.
  • Diodorus Siculus of Sicily (1st century BCE) Greek history.
  • Sallust (86-34 BCE)
  • Dionysius of Halicarnassus (c. 60 – c. 7 BCE) Roman history.
  • Livy (c. 59 BCE – c. 17 CE) Roman history.
  • Strabo (c. 64 BCE – c. 24 CE) Greek Geographer and Historian.
  • Marcus Velleius Paterculus (c. 19 BCE-c. 31 CE) Compendium of Roman history
  • Quintus Curtius Rufus (c. 60-70 CE) Greek history.
  • Flavius Josephus (37-100 CE) Jewish history
  • Dio Chrysostom (c. 40-115 CE)
  • Thallus (early 2nd century CE) Roman history
  • Plutarch (c. 46-120 CE) Wrote the ‘Parallel Lives’ of important Greeks and Romans.
  • Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. 56 – c. 120 CE) early Roman Empire.
  • Pliny the Elder (61-112 CE) Letters Books 1-10.
  • Suetonius (75-160 CE) Roman emperors of the Flavian dynasty.
  • Appian (c. 95 – c. 165 CE) Roman history.
  • Arrian (c. 92-175 CE) Greek history.
  • Lucius Ampelius (c. 3rd century CE) Roman history.
  • Dio Cassius (c. 160 – c. 229 CE) Roman history.
  • Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160-c. 240 CE)
  • Diogenes Laertius (c. 200-c. 250 CE) Biographer of the Greek Philosophers.
  • Herodian (c. 170-240 CE) Roman history.
  • Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 275 – c. 339 CE) Early Christian.
  • Unknown: (c. 284-339 CE) Historia Augusta
  • Ammianus Marcellinus (c. 325/330 – c. 392/400 CE) Roman history.
  • Flavius Eutropius (wrote during the 360’s-370’s CE) Breviarium Historiae Romanae in 10 Books (Based at Constantinople)
  • Aurelius Victor (c. 320 – c. 390 CE)
  • Justin Either the second or fourth century CE. Roman historian.
  • Rufinus of Aquileia (c. 340-410 CE) Early Christian.
  • Avienus (fourth century CE) Roman History.
  • Macrobius (370-430 CE) Saturnalia, history of Ancient Roman Religion.
  • Philostorgius (368 – c. 439 CE) Early Christian.
  • Socrates of Constantinople (born c. 380 CE) Early Christian.
  • Theodoret (c. 393 – c. 457 CE) Early Christian.
  • Priscus (5th century CE) Byzantine history.
  • Sozomen (c. 400 – c. 450 CE) Early Christian.
  • Vegetius (c. 390 – c. 450 CE) Roman Military Historian.
  • Sidonius Apollinaris (c. 430-489 CE) Early Christian Bishop.
  • Salvian (c. 400/405 – c. 493 CE) Early Christian.
  • Zosimus (writing c. 491-518 CE)
  • Procopius (c. 500-560 CE) Byzantine Historian.
  • Jordanes (c. 550 CE)
  • Anonymous (c. 6th century CE) Alexandrian World Chronicle.
    • A Greek Chronicle of history from the Creation to 392 CE, compiled in Alexandria, written on Papyrus found in 80 fragments with illuminations, currently in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.

Ancient Greek Historians

  • Herodotus (c. 484-420 BCE) Halicarnassus, The ‘Father of History’ wrote The Histories.
  • Thucydides (c. 460-c.395 BCE) ‘History of the Peloponnesian War’.
  • Berossus (early 3rd century BCE) Babylonian historian.
  • Xenophon (c. 431-360 BCE) Athens, a student of Socrates.
  • Ephorus (c.400-330 BCE) Wrote ‘Universal History’ in 29 Books.
  • Theopompus of Chios (b.380 BCE)
  • Theophrastus (371-287 BCE)
  • Ptolemy I Soter (c.367-283 BCE) Alexander the Great’s General, who’s dynasty ruled Egypt.
  • Timaeus of Tauromenium (c. 345-150 BCE) Greek history.
  • Polybius (c.200-c.118 BCE)
  • Strabo (c.64 BCE – c.24 CE) Greek Geographer and Historian.
  • Dio Chrysostom (c.40-115 CE)

Ancient Christian Historians/ Theologians

  • Eusebius:
    • Bishop of Caesarea. He wrote the Historia Ecclesiastica (Church History) describing the beginning of the Christian Church and ending around 324 CE.
  • Lactantius (c. 240 – c. 320 CE)
    • Divinae Institutiones – Divine Institutes
    • He moved amongst the Imperial circle and his patron became Constantine I.
  • Tertullian: (c. 155 – c. 240 CE)
    • Known as the Father of Latin Theology.
    • He lived in Carthage, in the Province of Africa. 31 Works survive, 15 are lost.

Ancient Roman Geographers

Ancient Greek Geographers

Ancient Greek Philosophers

Ancient Chinese Historians

  • Sima Qian (c. 145-86 BCE) Chinese history.
  • Ban Gu (32-92 CE) Han Dynasty.
  • Ban Zhao (45-116 CE) Han Dynasty.
  • Fa-Hien (c. 337-c. 422 CE) Chinese Buddhist monk and historian.

Ancient Persian (Parthian) Historians

  • Ctesias (5th century BCE)
    • Greek physician and historian at the court of Artaxerxes II Memnon 404 – 398/7 BCE.
    • ‘Persica’: written in 23 books.
    • ‘Indica’ recorded his view of Persian India. He opposed Herodotus view of Persian history.
  • Herodotus (484-420 BCE)
    • Greek historian.
    • ‘The histories’ in 9 books: Cyrus (book 1), Cambyses (Books 2 & 3.1), Darius (books 3.2,4,5,6), Xerxes (books 7,8,9)
  • Isidore of Charax

Medieval Historians

  • Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095-c. 1155 CE)
    • ‘Historia Regum Britanniae’ (History of the Kings of Britain)

Modern Historians

  • Jacob Burckhardt (25 May 1818 – 8 August 1887 CE)
    • 1860 The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy.
    • 1867 The History of the Renaissance in Italy.
  • Theodor Mommsen (30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903)
    • 1861 Corpus Inscriptiorium Latinarum
  • Edward Gibbon (27 April 1737 – 16 January 1794)

 

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