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Roman History, Volume IV: Civil Wars, Books 1-2
Appian (Appianus) is among our principal sources for the history of the Roman Republic, particularly in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, and sometimes our only source, as for the Third Punic War and the destruction of Carthage. Born circa AD 95, Appian was an Alexandrian official at ease in the highest political and literary circles who later became a Roman citizen and advocate. He died during the reign of Antoninus Pius (emperor 138–161).
Appian’s theme is the process by which the Roman Empire achieved its contemporary prosperity, and his unique method is to trace in individual books the story of each nation’s wars with Rome up through her own civil wars. Although this triumph of “harmony and monarchy” was achieved through characteristic Roman virtues, Appian is unusually objective about Rome’s shortcomings along the way.
Of the work’s original 24 books, only the Preface and Books 6–9 and 11–17 are preserved complete or nearly those on the Spanish, Hannibalic, African, Illyrian, Syrian, and Mithridatic wars, and five books on the civil wars.
This edition of Appian replaces the original Loeb edition by Horace White and provides additional fragments, along with his letter to Fronto.
Appian’s theme is the process by which the Roman Empire achieved its contemporary prosperity, and his unique method is to trace in individual books the story of each nation’s wars with Rome up through her own civil wars. Although this triumph of “harmony and monarchy” was achieved through characteristic Roman virtues, Appian is unusually objective about Rome’s shortcomings along the way.
Of the work’s original 24 books, only the Preface and Books 6–9 and 11–17 are preserved complete or nearly those on the Spanish, Hannibalic, African, Illyrian, Syrian, and Mithridatic wars, and five books on the civil wars.
This edition of Appian replaces the original Loeb edition by Horace White and provides additional fragments, along with his letter to Fronto.
539 pages, Hardcover
Published June 9, 2020
10 people want to read
About the author
Appian
261 books25 followersAppian of Alexandria (/ˈæpiən/; Ancient Greek: Ἀππιανός Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Appianós Alexandreús; Latin: Appianus Alexandrinus; ca. AD 95 – ca. AD 165) was a Roman historian of Greek ethnicity who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius.
He was born circa 95 in Alexandria. He tells us, after having filled the chief offices in the province of Aegyptus (Egypt), he went to Rome circa 120, where he practised as an advocate, pleading cases before the emperors (probably as advocatus fisci), that in 147 at the earliest he was appointed to the office of procurator, probably in Egypt, on the recommendation of his friend Marcus Cornelius Fronto, a well-known litterateur. Because the position of procurator was open only to members of the equestrian order (the "knightly" class), his possession of this office tells us about Appian's family background.
His principal surviving work (Ῥωμαϊκά, known in Latin as Historia Romana and in English as Roman History) was written in Greek in 24 books, before 165. This work more closely resembles a series of monographs than a connected history. It gives an account of various peoples and countries from the earliest times down to their incorporation into the Roman Empire, and survives in complete books and considerable fragments. The work is very valuable, especially for the period of the civil wars.
The Civil Wars, five of the later books in the corpus, concern mainly the end of the Roman Republic and take a conflict-based approach to history.
He was born circa 95 in Alexandria. He tells us, after having filled the chief offices in the province of Aegyptus (Egypt), he went to Rome circa 120, where he practised as an advocate, pleading cases before the emperors (probably as advocatus fisci), that in 147 at the earliest he was appointed to the office of procurator, probably in Egypt, on the recommendation of his friend Marcus Cornelius Fronto, a well-known litterateur. Because the position of procurator was open only to members of the equestrian order (the "knightly" class), his possession of this office tells us about Appian's family background.
His principal surviving work (Ῥωμαϊκά, known in Latin as Historia Romana and in English as Roman History) was written in Greek in 24 books, before 165. This work more closely resembles a series of monographs than a connected history. It gives an account of various peoples and countries from the earliest times down to their incorporation into the Roman Empire, and survives in complete books and considerable fragments. The work is very valuable, especially for the period of the civil wars.
The Civil Wars, five of the later books in the corpus, concern mainly the end of the Roman Republic and take a conflict-based approach to history.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 14, 2022
This volume moves fast. There are colorful characters like the hard-to-catch Sertorius, and Caesar himself, who survived by the skin of his teeth time after time.
Appian makes several minor mistakes, according to the notes, but I've grown to really like him as a historian. At the beginning of this volume he says "To show how [the stability of the Roman Empire] came about I have written and compiled this narrative of events which will astonish those who want to witness the measureless ambition of men, their dreadful lust for power, their unwearying perseverance, and countless forms of evil." He seems pretty fair; neither an apologist nor a purveyor of salacious gossip (like Seutonius). He does say the gods must have helped Caesar, but that's a comment on his extraordinary success, not an indication of his own bias.
Appian makes several minor mistakes, according to the notes, but I've grown to really like him as a historian. At the beginning of this volume he says "To show how [the stability of the Roman Empire] came about I have written and compiled this narrative of events which will astonish those who want to witness the measureless ambition of men, their dreadful lust for power, their unwearying perseverance, and countless forms of evil." He seems pretty fair; neither an apologist nor a purveyor of salacious gossip (like Seutonius). He does say the gods must have helped Caesar, but that's a comment on his extraordinary success, not an indication of his own bias.
September 1, 2021
I feel like Appian really comes into his own as a historian in the Civil Wars. His account of the origin of civil war in the time of the Gracchi is lucid and compelling, and he continues that degree of literary merit throughout. My understanding is that his goal ultimately is to legitimize the world order of his day, and therefore the civil war is essential to his project because it explains how much better the empire is than the republic in his opinion. McGing is a great translator with helpful notes. I don’t know if this is an option for the Loeb, but a timeline and who’s who section would help students follow along better.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews