A Commentary on Herodian's "History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus"
Final Report Abstract
The project focussed on Herodian’s History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus. This text, composed in the 3rd century AD, describes in eight short books the history of Rome from the death of Marcus Aurelius to the sole rule of Gordianus III (AD 180–238). The aim of the project was to write a commentary on the whole text which contextualises the work in discourses that have not yet taken centre stage in Herodianic scholarship. As the project has shown, the interaction of the History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus with literary discourses beyond historiography – especially drama – and philosophical discourses is fundamental to the historiographical and narrative "fabric" of the text. The thesis of the project is therefore that we must view Herodian's history as a strongly intertextual work, which, precisely because of this quality, invites its readers to reflect on as well as to enjoy the narrative.
