Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXXI PDF
Preview Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXXI
Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXXI Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/am Philological and Historical Commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXXI By J.denBoeft J.W.Drijvers D.denHengst H.C.Teitler LEIDEN•BOSTON 2018 TheLibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailableonlineathttp://catalog.loc.gov LCrecordavailableathttp://lccn.loc.gov/2017040973 TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:www.brill.com/brill -typeface. ISBN978-90-04-35381-7(hardback) ISBN978-90-04-35382-4(e-book) Copyright2018byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillNVincorporatestheimprintsBrill,BrillHes&DeGraaf,BrillNijhoff,BrillRodopi andHoteiPublishing. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedin aretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical, photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher. 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CONTENTS Preface................................................................. vii Introduction........................................................... ix Chronology ............................................................ xvii Legenda................................................................ xxiii CommentaryonChapter1............................................. 1 CommentaryonChapter2 ............................................ 11 CommentaryonChapter3 ............................................ 39 CommentaryonChapter4 ............................................ 53 CommentaryonChapter5 ............................................ 81 CommentaryonChapter6 ............................................ 107 CommentaryonChapter7 ............................................ 119 CommentaryonChapter8 ............................................ 141 CommentaryonChapter9 ............................................ 153 CommentaryonChapter10............................................ 161 CommentaryonChapter11............................................ 181 CommentaryonChapter12............................................ 195 CommentaryonChapter13............................................ 221 CommentaryonChapter14............................................ 243 CommentaryonChapter15............................................ 259 CommentaryonChapter16 ........................................... 277 Bibliography ........................................................... 305 Indices................................................................. 329 Maps................................................................... 359 PREFACE This is the last book of Ammianus’ Res Gestae. It is almost completely dedicatedtothetroublestheGothscreatedinThraceaftertheyhadbeen allowed to cross the Danube and to enter Roman territory. The climax of theRoman-GothicconfrontationswasthedisastrousbattleofAdrianople inwhichtheRomanarmywasheavilydefeatedandtheemperorValenswas killed.Inaddition,thebookoffersthefirstextantdescriptionoftheHunnic people,andanaccountofGratian’stroubleswiththeAlamannicLentienses attheRhinefrontier. ThecommentaryonBook31isthelastvolumeintheseriesofPhilologi- calandHistoricalCommentariesonAmmianusMarcellinus,whichoriginally startedin1935withthePhDthesisbyP.deJongeattheUniversityofGronin- genonthefirstsevenchaptersofBook14.DeJongecontinuedhisworkon theResGestaeafterWorldWarIIandwasabletopublishcommentariesup toandincludingBook19,whichwaspublishedin1982.Hisworkwasinitially continuedbyatriumvirateconsistingofJandenBoeft,DaandenHengstand HansTeitler(Books20–21).In1991thetriumviratebecameaquadrigawhen JanWillemDrijversjoinedtheteam.Thefourofuspublishedthecommen- tariesonBooks22–31. Ourcommentarieshavebenefitedgreatlyfromthesupportandadvice offriendsandcolleaguesovertheyears.WeowethankstoRaphaelBren- delforhisbibliographicalsuggestionsandtoErwinBolhuisoftheGronin- gen Institute of Archaeology for making the maps in this volume. A spe- cial word of thanks is due to Ines van de Wetering for her correction of our English in previous volumes as well as in the present one. The Fon- dationHardtatVandoeuvresalsodeservesourthanks;considerableparts of the commentaries were prepared and written in its inspiring environ- ment.WearegratefultoourpublisherKoninklijkeBrillwhopreparedthe publicationofthisandpreviousvolumeswithprofessionalcareanddedi- cation. Withthepublicationofthislastvolumealong-standingprojectiscom- pleted.Thereisadeepfeelingofgratitude,notonlybecausewewereable tofinishtheproject,butalsobecausewecoulddosoasafoursome.Atthe viii preface sametimethereisasenseofmelancholy:afruitfulandharmoniouscollab- oration,whichcomprisedalargepartofourscholarlyandpersonallivesfor morethanthirtyyears,hascometoanend. June2017 J.denBoeft J.W.Drijvers D.denHengst H.C.Teitler J.W.Drijvers H.C.Teitler D.denHengst J.denBoeft INTRODUCTION WhilethecentraleventinBook30wasthesuddendemiseofValentinianI, emperoroftheWest,inBook31,thelastbookoftheResGestae,hisbrother Valens,emperoroftheEast,isthemaincharacter.ThereforeAmmianusno longerreportseventsintheWestandtheEastalternately,ashehaddone inBooks26–30,butfocusesalmostexclusivelyoneventsintheeasternpart oftheempire.ThejuniormembersoftheValentiniandynasty,Gratianand ValentinianII,aregivenonlyaperfunctorytreatment. The narrative of Valens’ death during the battle of Adrianople creates a highly dramatic conclusion to the Res Gestae. The groundwork for this impressive finale is laid in the opening chapter of Book 31. Ammianus presentsthereaderwithalistofportents,whichgobeyondthetraditional ominamortisinthattheyhintunequivocallyatValens’deathbyfire.Indeed, Ammianushadalreadypreparedhisreadersfortheingloriousendofthe emperorin29.1.33.Thereanoracleforetold,thatValenswouldbepunished forhisjudicialmisconduct:ipsi…principicaedesincendiaqueflatantesfurias imminere, “the Furies, breathing fire and slaughter were in wait…for the emperorhimself”(tr.Hamilton),athreatwhichisemphaticallyrepeatedin 29.2.20.AsSamberger,1969,429stated:“DieErzählungdes29.Bucheslässt die Darstellung des angedeuteten Geschehens unbedingt erwarten und, umgekehrt,dieletzteNachrichtüberdenKaisersetztdiefrüherenotwendig voraus.” This is a decisive argument against the proposition of Kulikowski, that “Book31wasinoriginaseparatemonograph,draftedinGreekatAntioch in the aftermath of the Roman defeat at Adrianople” (2012, 79). Equally unattractiveishisidea,thatthelastBookoftheResGestaeisaLatintrans- lationofaGreekoriginal,sincethereisnotasingletraceofaGreeksubtext in Book 31, while the allusions to and borrowings from the Latin authors Sallust, Cicero, Gellius and Vergil are just as prolific as in the preceding books. ChapteronecontainsnotonlyominapredictingthedeathofValens,butalso anoracleinGreekwhichprophesiesthatcountlesshordesofbarbarianswill crosstheDanubeintoRomanterritory.Theoracle,obviouslyavaticiniumex eventu,isdeliberatelyvague,butseemstohavebeenwrittenwiththeafter- effectsofthebattleofAdrianopleinmind. x introduction BeforeturningtotheactualinvasionoftheGoths,Ammianusexplains whythisnationwasforcedtoleaveitsterritorynorthoftheDanube.They were expelled by the Huns, who had defeated the Alans and later joined forceswiththem.Ammianusdevotesalengthydigressiontothesenations inchapterstwoandthree.Theethnographicsketchesareverysimilar;both nationsaredescribedastypicalnomads,whosewayoflifediffersinevery respectfromGraeco-Romancivilization.Ammianuspossessedlittlefactual information about the Alans—even less about the Huns—and therefore madeuseoftraditionalnotionsaboutprimitivebarbarians,manyofthem ultimatelygoingbacktotheScythianlogosinHerodotusBook4. MovingwestwardsthejoinedforcesoftheHunsandAlansfirstencoun- tered the Gothic confederation of the Greuthungi, who, after a series of defeats,withdrewtotheriverDanastrus(Dniestr).Next,theHunsandAlans attacked the Gothic Thervingi under king Athanaric, who tried in vain to stop their advance. Utterly discouraged and threatened by famine a large partoftheThervingiturnedawayfromAthanaric.LedbyAlavivusandFri- tigern,theydecidedtoasktheRomanemperorforpermissiontocrossthe DanubeinordertotakerefugefromtheHunsinthefertileregionofThrace. Inreturntheyofferedguaranteesofpeace,andpromisedtodomilitaryser- viceifrequiredtodoso. As soon as Ammianus begins to describe the actual contacts between Goths and Romans, in chapter four, his tone becomes less detached. At first, he tells us, the Romans tended to ignore the turmoil created by the Huns.Later,uponhearingthatcountlessnumbersofGothswereappealing totheemperorforadmittancewithinthebordersoftheempire,flattering courtierswentsofarastocongratulateValensonhisgoodluck.Theinflux of young Gothic soldiers would not only render his army invincible, but alsoenablehimtoreducethecostsofthearmy.Theemperorconsequently granted the Goths permission to enter the empire. With undisguised sar- casmAmmianusrelateshowtheRomanbordertroopsandtheDanubefleet did everything in their power to leave ‘not one of those destined to over- throwtheRomanState’(nequiRomanamremeversurusrelinqueretur,31.4.5) beyondtheriver.Heemphasizesthehugenumbersoftheinvadersinhis usualmanner,withaquotationfromVergilandareferencetoancienthis- tory,viz.thePersianexpeditionofXerxesagainstGreece.Ammianusdoes notexplicitlystateunderwhatconditionstheGothswereallowedtoenter Romanterritory.HedoessaythatValenspromisedthem‘foodinaccordance withthesituationandlandstocultivate’(alimentaprotemporeetsubigendos agros,31.4.8). AmmianusisalsosharplycriticaloftheRomancommandersinThrace,
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