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Roman historiography - wikipedia Roman historiography Jump to : navigation , search This article includes a list of references , but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . ( August 2009 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) Roman historiography is indebted to the Greeks , who invented the form . The Romans had great models to base their works upon , such as Herodotus ( c. 484 -- 425 BC ) and Thucydides ( c. 460 -- c. 395 BC ) . Roman historiographical forms are different from the Greek ones however , and voice very Roman concerns . Unlike the Greeks , Roman historiography did not start out with an oral historical tradition . The Roman style of history was based on the way that the Annals of the Pontifex Maximus , or the Annales Maximi , were recorded . The Annales Maximi include a wide array of information , including religious documents , names of consuls , deaths of priests , and various disasters throughout history . Also part of the Annales Maximi are the White Tablets , or the `` Tabulae Albatae '' , which consist of information on the origin of the republic . Contents ( hide ) 1 History 1.1 Foundation 1.2 The annalistic tradition 1.3 The monographic tradition 1.4 Factionalized history 1.5 Overview 2 Characteristics 3 Major extant historians 3.1 Caesar 3.2 Livy 3.3 Sallust 3.4 Tacitus 3.5 Suetonius 4 Other notable historians 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading History ( edit ) Foundation ( edit ) The most well - known originator of Roman historiography was Quintus Fabius Pictor , also known as the `` Founder of Historiography '' . Before the second Punic war , there was no historiography in Rome , but after , it was needed to commemorate this important occasion . Q. Fabius Pictor took up the task and wrote a history of Rome in Greek , not Latin . This choice of writing about the war in Greek arose from a need to address the Greeks and counter another author , Timaeus , who also wrote a history of Rome until the Second Punic War . Timaeus wrote with a negative view of Rome . Therefore , in defense of the Roman state , Q. Fabius Pictor wrote in Greek , using Olympiad dating and a Hellenistic style . Q. Fabius Pictor 's style of writing history defending the Roman state and its actions , and using propaganda heavily , eventually became a defining characteristic of Roman historiography . Q. Fabius Pictor is known for the establishment of the `` ab urbe condita '' tradition of historiography which is writing history `` from the founding of the city '' . After Q. Fabius Pictor wrote , many other authors followed his lead , inspired by the new literary form : Lucius Cincius Alimentus , Gaius Acilius , Aulus Postumius Albinus , and Cato the Elder . Cato the Elder is credited as the first historian to write in Latin . His work , the Origines , was written to teach Romans what it means to be Roman . Like Q. Fabius Pictor , Cato the Elder wrote ab urbe condita , and the early history is filled with legends illustrating Roman virtues . The Origines also spoke of how not only Rome , but the other Italian towns were venerable , and that the Romans were indeed superior to the Greeks . The Romans enjoyed serious endeavors and so the writing of historiography became very popular for upper class citizens who wanted to spend their time on worthwhile , virtuous , `` Roman '' activities . As leisure time was looked down upon by the Romans , writing history became an acceptable way to spend retirement . Almost as soon as historiography started being used by the Romans , it split into two traditions : the annalistic tradition and the monographic tradition . The annalistic tradition ( edit ) The authors who used the Annalistic tradition wrote histories year - by - year , from the beginning , which was most frequently from the founding of the city , usually up until the time that they were living in . Some annalistic authors : Gnaeus Gellius ( c. 140 BC ) wrote his history from Aeneas until 146 BC . Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi ( c. 133 BC ) wrote trying to figure out why the Roman society had begun to decline . His history chronicled Rome from the foundation until 154 BC , when he believed that the society had hit its lowest point . Publius Mucius Scaevola ( c. 133 BC ) wrote a history from the foundation of the city in 80 books . Sempronius Asellio ( c. 100 BC ) wrote a history from the Punic Wars until c. 100 BC . Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius wrote that all Roman wars are just , and that the Senate and all Roman dealings were honorable , in annalistic form . The monographic tradition ( edit ) Monographs are more similar to the history books that we are used to today ; they are usually on a single topic , but most importantly , they do not tell history from the beginning , and they are not even necessarily annalistic . An important sub category that emerged from the monographic tradition was the biography . Some monographic authors : Gaius Gracchus wrote a biography of his brother , Tiberius Gracchus . Gaius Fannius also wrote a biography of Tiberius Gracchus , but showed him in a negative light . Lucius Coelius Antipater wrote a monograph on the Second Punic War . Sallust wrote two monographs : Bellum Catilinae ( also known as De Catilinae Coniuratione ) , which is about the Catilinarian conspiracy from 66 -- 63 BC , and the Bellum Jugurthinum , which is about the war with Jugurtha which took place from 111 -- 105 BC . Factionalized history ( edit ) Often , especially in times of political unrest or social turmoil , historians re-wrote history to suit their particular views of the age . So , there were many different historians each rewriting history a little bit to bolster their case . This was especially evident in the 70s BC when the social wars were going on between the populists led by Marius , and the senatorials led by Sulla . Several authors wrote histories during this time , each taking a side . Gaius Licinius Macer was anti-Sullan and wrote his history , based on Gnaeus Gellius in 16 books , from the founding of the city until the 3rd century BC , whereas Valerius Antias who was pro-Sulla , wrote a history in 75 books , from the founding of the city until 91 BC . Overview ( edit ) The historiography we most readily identify with the Romans , coming from sources such as Caesar , Sallust , Livy , Tacitus , and other minor authors , owes much to its early roots and Greek predecessors . However , contrary to the Greek form , the Roman form included various attitudes and concerns that were considered strictly Roman . As the recording of Roman history began to evolve and take shape , many characteristics came to define what we know today as Roman historiography , most notably the strong defense of and allegiance to the Roman state and its wide variety of moral ideals , the factional nature of some histories , the splitting of historiography into two distinct categories , the Annals and the Monograph , and the rewriting of history to suit the author 's needs . Characteristics ( edit ) Annals are a year - by - year arrangement of historical writing . In Roman historiography , annals generally begin at the founding of Rome . Proper annals include whatever events were of importance for each year , as well as other information such as the names of that year 's consuls , which was the basis by which Romans generally identified years . The Annal seems originally to have been used by the priesthood to keep track of omens and portents . The Annales Maximi were a running set of annals kept by the Pontifex Maximus . The Annales Maximi contained such information as names of the magistrates of each year , public events , and omens such as eclipses and monstrous births . The Annales Maximi covers the period from the early Roman Republic to around the time of the Gracchi . Gracchan Annalist seems to refer to the writers of history in annalistic form who began writing after the time of the Gracchi . Compared to other forms of annalistic history , these seem more fictionalized as Roman historians used their histories to illustrate points about their own time , and were not necessarily out to produce hard fact . Still , Gracchan annalists have produced interesting insight into the writer 's own time , if not necessarily into the time on which they wrote . Sallust and Tacitus are fair examples of Gracchan Annalists . A monograph is a comprehensive work on a single subject . The monograph could be written about a single event , a technique , rhetoric , or one of any number of other subjects . For example , Pliny the Elder once published a monograph on the use of the throwing - spear by cavalry . Monographs were among the most common historical works found in Roman writings . Ab urbe condita , literally `` From the founding of the city '' , describes the Roman tradition of beginning histories at the founding of the city of Rome . For examples , see Tacitus , Livy , Sallust , et al . In Livy 's Ab Urbe Condita , much time is spent on the early history of Rome , and on the founding of the city itself . In Sallust 's histories , the founding and early history of Rome is almost reduced to a single sentence . Thus , the ab urbe condita form is extremely variable while continuing to mold Roman histories . `` Senatorial History '' describes history written by or with information from a Roman Senator . Senatorial histories are generally particularly informative due to their `` insider 's '' perspective . A general pattern of Senatorial histories is that they seem to invariably contain a reason that the author is writing histories instead of remaining involved in politics . Sullan annalists politicized their past . They were partisans of the Sullan faction who carried on the Marius and Sulla conflict through their histories , often rewriting them to fit their own agenda . Some Sullan annalists may have been sources for Livy . Valerius Antias ( fl. 80 - 60 BC ) was a Sullan annalist but he was not viewed as a credible historian . He seems to have been trying to counter the Marian historian , C. Licinius Macer . Antias ' history , written in seventy - six books , is melodramatic and often filled with exaggerations and lies . In his history , anyone named Cornelius is considered a hero and anyone named Claudius is an enemy and the opposition to the populares never went by a consistent name but were instead called `` boni '' , `` optime '' or `` optimates '' , implying that they were the good guys . Roman historiography is also very well known for subversive writing styles . The information in the ancient Roman histories is often communicated by suggestion , innuendo , implication and insinuation because their attitudes would not always be well received . Tacitus opposed the emperors and believed that they were one of the reasons for the decline of Rome . Tacitus even wrote disparagingly of Augustus the most celebrated and beloved of the emperors . Of course these opinions had to be veiled since they would not have gone over very well . In Roman historiography commentarii is simply a raw account of events often not intended for publication . It was not considered traditional `` history '' because it lacked the necessary speeches and literary flourishes . Commentarii was usually turned into `` history '' later on . Many think Caesar 's account of the Gallic Wars , Commentarii Rerum Gestarum ( Commentaries on Things Done ) , was called commentarii for propagandistic purposes . They believe that it is actually `` history '' since it is so well written , pro-Roman and fits the traditional patterns of historiography . Ancient Roman historians did not write for the sake of writing , they wrote in an effort to convince their audiences . Propaganda is ever present and is the function of Roman historiography . Ancient Roman historians traditionally had personal and political baggage and were not disinterested observers . Their accounts were written with the specific moral and political agendas . For example , Q. Fabius Pictor started the tradition of historiography that was concerned with both morality and history and affirmed the prestige of Roman state and its people . Ancient Roman historians wrote pragmatic histories in order to benefit future statesmen . The philosophy of pragmatic history treats historical happenings with special reference to causes , conditions and results . In Roman Historiography the facts and an impression of what the facts mean are presented . Interpretation is always a part of historiography ; Romans never made any pretense about it . Conflict between the facts and the interpretation of those facts indicate a good historian . Polybius , who wrote in Greek , was the first pragmatic historian . His histories have an aristocratic ethos and reveal his opinions on honor , wealth and war . Tacitus was also a pragmatic . His histories have literary merit and interpretations of facts and events . He was not purely objective , rather his judgments served a moral function . Major extant historians ( edit ) Caesar ( edit ) Julius Caesar was born on July 12 , 100 BC into a patrician family . As a young man , he was given the position of the Flamen Dialis by his father - in - law , Cornelius Cinna . When that position was taken away by Sulla , Caesar spent a decade in Asia , earning a great reputation in the military . Upon his return to Rome , he was both elected tribunus militium and given the title of pontifex . During his time in these positions , Caesar befriended Pompey and Crassus , the two men with whom he would later form the First Triumvirate . As the years went on , recognition for Caesar 's political , military , and oratory skills grew and he easily earned the positions of praetor and consul . After his consulship , Caesar gained control of the provinces of Illyricum and Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul . In 58 BC , trouble arose in the Gallic provinces , sparking one of the most important wars of Caesar 's career . The De Bello Gallico is Caesar 's account of the Gallic Wars . As the Wars were raging on , Caesar fell victim to a great deal of criticisms from Rome . De Bello Gallico is a response to these criticisms , and a way for Caesar to justify these Wars . His argument is that the Wars were both just and pious , and that he and his army attacked Gaul in self - defense . The Helvetians were forming a massive migration straight through the provinces . When a group of neighboring allies came to Caesar himself asking for help against these invading Helvetians , that was all the justification Caesar needed to gather his army . By creating an account that portrays himself as a superb military hero , Caesar was able to clear all doubts in Rome about his abilities as a leader . While it is obvious that Caesar used this account for his own gain , it is not to say that the De Bello Gallico is at all unreliable . Many of the victories that Caesar has written about did , in fact , occur . Smaller details , however , may have been altered , and the word choice makes the reader more sympathetic to Caesar 's cause . De Bello Gallico is an excellent example of the ways in which retellings of actual events can be spun to a person 's advantage . For this reason , De Bello Gallico is often looked at as a commentary , rather than a piece of actual historiography . Livy ( edit ) Titus Livius , commonly known as Livy , was a Roman historian best known for his work entitled Ab Urbe Condita , which is a history of Rome `` from the founding of the city '' . He was born in Patavium , which is modern day Padua , in 59 BC and he died there in 17 AD . Others referred to his writing as having `` patavinitas '' . Little is known about his life , but based on an epitaph found in Padua , he had a wife and two sons . We also know that he was on good terms with Augustus and he also encouraged Claudius to write history . Ab Urbe Condita covered Roman history from its founding , commonly accepted as 753 BC , to 9 BC . It consisted of 142 books , though only books 1 -- 10 and 21 -- 45 survive in whole , although summaries of the other books and a few other fragments exist . The books were referred to as `` decades '' because Livy organized his material into groups of ten books . The decades were further split in pentads : Books 1 -- 5 cover from the founding to 390 BC . Books 6 -- 10 cover 390 -- 293 BC . Though we do not have books 11 -- 20 , evidence suggests that books 11 -- 15 discussed Pyrrhus and books 16 -- 20 dealt with the First Punic War . Books 21 -- 30 cover the Second Punic War : 21 -- 25 deal with Hannibal . 26 -- 30 deal with Scipio Africanus . The wars against Philip V in Greece are discussed in books 31 -- 35 . The wars against Antiochus III in the east in books 36 -- 40 . The Third Macedonian War is dealt with in books 40 -- 45 . Books 45 -- 121 are missing . Books 121 -- 142 deal with the events from 42 through 9 BC . The purpose of writing Ab Urbe Condita was twofold : the first was to memorialize history and the second was to challenge his generation to rise to that same level . He was preoccupied with morality , using history as a moral essay . He connects a nation 's success with its high level of morality , and conversely a nation 's failure with its moral decline . Livy believed that there had been a moral decline in Rome , and he lacked the confidence that Augustus could reverse it . Though he shared Augustus ' ideals , he was not a `` spokesman for the regime '' . He believed that Augustus was necessary , but only as a short term measure . According to Quintillian , Livy wrote lactea ubertas , or `` with milky richness '' . He used language to embellish his material , including the use of both poetical and archaic words . He included many anachronisms in his work , such as tribunes having power that they did not have until much later . Livy also used rhetorical elaborations , such as attributing speeches to characters whose speeches could not possibly be known . Though he was not thought of as a first - rate historian , his work was so extensive that other histories were abandoned for Livy . It is unfortunate that these other histories were abandoned , especially since much of Livy 's work is now gone , leaving holes in our knowledge of Roman history . Sallust ( edit ) C. Sallustius Crispus , more commonly known as Sallust , was a Roman historian of the 1st century BC , born c. 86 BC in the Sabine community of Amiternum . There is some evidence that Sallust 's family belonged to a local aristocracy , but we do know that he did not belong to Rome 's ruling class . Thus he embarked on a political career as a `` novus homo '' , serving as a military tribune in the 60s BC , quaestor from 55 to 54 BC , and tribune of the plebs in 52 BC . Sallust was expelled from the senate in 50 BC on moral grounds , but quickly revived his career by attaching himself to Julius Caesar . He served as quaestor again in 48 BC , as praetor in 46 BC , and governed the new province in the former Numidian territory until 44 BC . Sallust 's political career ended upon his return to Rome and Caesar 's assassination in 44 BC . We possess in full two of the historical works that have been convincingly ascribed to Sallust , the monographs , Bellum Catilinae and Bellum Jugurthinum . We have only fragments of the third work , the Historiae . There is less agreement about the authorship of some other works that have , at times , been attributed to him . In Bellum Catilinae , Sallust outlines the conspiracy of Catiline , a brash and ambitious patrician who tried to seize power in Rome in 63 BC . In his other monograph , Sallust used the Jugurthine War as a backdrop for his examination of the development of party struggles in Rome in the 1st century BC . The Historiae describe in general the history of the years 78 -- 67 BC . Although Sallust 's purposes in writing have been debated over the years , it seems logical to classify him as a senatorial historian who adopted the attitude of a censor . The historical details outlined in his monographs serve as paradigms for Sallust . In Bellum Catilinae , Sallust uses the figure of Catiline as a symbol of the corrupt Roman nobility . Indeed , much of what Sallust writes in this work does not even concern Catiline . The content of Bellum Jugurthinum also suggests that Sallust was more interested in character studies ( e.g. Marius ) than the details of the war itself . With respect to writing style , the main influences on Sallust 's work were Thucydides and Cato the Elder . Evidence of the former 's influence includes emphasis on politics , use of archaisms , character analysis , and selective omission of details . The use of such devices as asyndeton , anaphora , and chiasmus reflect preference for the old - fashioned Latin style of Cato to the Ciceronian periodic structure of his own era . Whether Sallust is considered a reliable source or not , he is largely responsible for our current image of Rome in the late republic . He doubtless incorporates elements of exaggeration in his works and has at times been described as more of an artist or politician than historian . But our understanding of the moral and ethical realities of Rome in the 1st century BC would be much weaker if Sallust 's works did not survive . Tacitus ( edit ) Tacitus was born c. 56 AD in , most likely , either Cisalpine or Narbonese Gaul . Upon arriving in Rome , which would have happened by 75 , he quickly began to lay down the tracks for his political career . By 88 , he was made praetor under Domitian , and he was also a member of the quindecimviri sacris faciundis . From 89 to 93 , Tacitus was away from Rome with his newly married wife , the daughter of the general Agricola. 97 saw Tacitus being named the consul suffectus under Nerva . It is likely that Tacitus held a proconsulship in Asia . His death is datable to c. 118 . There is much scholarly debate concerning the order of publication of Tacitus ' works ; traditional dates are given here . 98 -- Agricola ( De vita Iulii Agricolae ) . This was a laudation of the author 's father - in - law , the aforementioned general Cn . Iulius Agricola . More than a biography , however , can be garnered from the Agricola : Tacitus includes sharp words and poignant phrases aimed at the emperor Domitian . 98 -- Germania ( De origine et situ Germanorum ) . `` belongs to a literary genre , describing the country , peoples and customs of a race '' ( Cooley 2007 ) . c. 101 / 102 -- Dialogus ( Dialogus de oratoribus ) . This is a commentary on the state of oratory as Tacitus sees it . c. 109 -- Histories . This work spanned the end of the reign of Nero to the death of Domitian . Unfortunately , the only extant books of this 12 -- 14 volume work are 1 -- 4 and a quarter of book 5 . Unknown -- Annales ( Ab excessu divi Augusti ) . This is Tacitus ' largest and final work . Some scholars also regard this as his most impressive work . The date of publication and whether it was completed at all are unknown . The Annales covered the reigns of Tiberius , Caligula , Claudius , and Nero . Like the Histories , parts of the Annales are lost : most of book 5 , books 7 -- 10 , part of book 11 , and everything after the middle of 16 . Tacitus ' familiar invective is also present in this work . Tacitus ' style is very much like that of Sallust . Short , sharp phrases cut right to the point , and Tacitus makes no bones about conveying his point . His claim that he writes history `` sine ira et studio '' ( `` without anger and partiality '' ) ( Annales I. 1 ) is not exactly one that is true . Many of his passages ooze with hatred towards the emperors . Despite this seemingly obvious partisan style of writing , much of what is said can go under the radar , which is as Tacitus wanted things to be . His skill as an orator , which was praised by his good friend Pliny , no doubt contributes to his supreme mastery of the Latin language . Not one to mince words , Tacitus does not waste time with a history of Rome ab urbe condita . Rather , he gives a brief synopsis of the key points before he begins a lengthier summary of the reign of Augustus . From there , he launches into his scathing account of history from where Livy would have left off . Suetonius ( edit ) Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus ( Suetonius ) is most famous for his biographies of the Julio - Claudian and Flavian emperors and other notable historical figures . He was born around 69 to an equestrian family . Living during the times of the Emperor Trajan and having a connection to Pliny the Younger , Suetonius was able to begin a rise in rank in the imperial administration . In c. 102 , he was appointed to a military tribune position in Britain , which he did not actually accept . He was , though , among the staff for Pliny 's command in Bithynia . During the late period of Trajan 's rule and under Hadrian , he held various positions , until he was discharged . He had a close proximity to the government as well as access to the imperial archives , which can be seen in his historical biographies . Suetonius wrote a large number of biographies on important literary figures of the past ( De Viris Illustribus ) . Included in the collection were notable poets , grammarians , orators , historians , and philosophers . This collection , like his other works , was not organized chronologically . Not all of it has survived to the present day , but there are a number of references in other sources to attribute fragments to this collection . His most famous work , though , is the De Vita Caesarum . This collection of twelve biographies tells the lives of the Julio - Claudian and Flavian Emperors , spanning from Julius Caesar to Domitian . Other than an introduction genealogy and a short summary of the subject 's youth and death , the biographies do not follow a chronological pattern . Rather than chronicling events as they happened in time , Suetonius presents them thematically . This style allowed him to compare the achievements and downfalls of each emperor using various examples of imperial responsibilities , such as building projects and public entertainment . However , it makes dating aspects of each emperor 's life and the events of the early Roman Empire difficult . It also completely removes the ability to extrapolate a causal sequence from the works . Suetonius 's purpose was not a historical recount of events , though , but rather an evaluation of the emperors themselves . Suetonius 's style is simple ; he often quotes directly from sources that were used , and artistic organization and language does not seem to exist . He addresses points directly , without flowery or misleading language , and quotes from his sources often . However , he is often criticized that he was more interested in the interesting stories about the emperors and not about the actual occurrences of their reigns . The style , with which he writes , primarily stems from his overarching purpose , to catalogue the lives of his subjects . He was not writing an annalistic history , nor was he even trying to create a narrative . His goal was the evaluation of the emperors , portraying the events and actions of the person while they were in office . He focuses on the fulfillment of duties , criticizing those that did not live up to expectations , and praising bad emperors for times when they did fulfill their duties . There are a variety of other lost or incomplete works by Suetonius , many of which describe areas of culture and society , like the Roman Year or the names of seas . However , what we know about these is only through references outside the works themselves . Other notable historians ( edit ) Polybius ( c. 208 -- 116 BC ) was a prominent Greek who figured strongly in the Achaean League . Upon being captured by the Romans and transported to Rome , Polybius took it upon himself to record the history of Rome in order to explain Roman tradition to his fellow Greeks . He wanted to convince them to accept the domination of Rome as a universal truth . His main work , Histories , is extant despite its being fragmented . Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian of the 1st century BC . His main body of work was the Bibliotheca , which consisted of forty books and was intended to be a universal history from mythological times to the 1st century BC . He employed a very simple and straightforward style of writing , and relied heavily on written accounts for his information , most of which are now lost . Often criticized for a lack of originality and deemed a `` scissors and paste '' historian , Diodorus endeavored to present a comprehensive human history in a convenient and readable form . Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( fl . c. 8 BC . ) was a Greek historian and critic living in Rome . His major work was Roman Antiquities , a history of Rome from its mythical beginnings until the first Punic war , consisting of 20 books . Generally he is considered to be a less reliable source than most of the other historians , but he does fill in the gaps in Livy 's accounts . Other works include : On Imitation , On Dinarchus , On Thucidides , and On the Arrangement of Words . Pliny the Elder , uncle of Pliny the Younger , wrote in the 1st century AD . He was an officer in the Roman military who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD . His known works include Naturalis Historia , which is a collection of books on natural history , Bella Germanica , a 21 book history of the German wars which occurred during his lifetime , and a 31 book history of Julio - Claudian Rome . Titus Flavius Josephus ( born 39 AD ) was a Jewish historian and apologist . His works include The Jewish War ( 75 to 79 ) , Jewish Antiquities ( 93 ) , The Life ( 95 ) and Against Apion ( Publication date unknown ) . He was influenced by Thucydides and Polybius and was endorsed by the Emperor Titus . Though many critics thought that he was a traitor to his people , his writings show that he was a zealous defender of the Jewish faith and culture . Appianus of Alexandria ( c. 95 -- 165 ) wrote in Greek his Romaiken istorian ( Roman History ) , about half of which survives . This work is best known for its coverage of the Civil Wars of the late Republic ( in his Books XIII to XVII ) . Appian addresses here the period roughly from 133 to 35 BC , i.e. , from the reforms of Tiberius Gracchus to the death of Sextus Pompey . Dio Cassius was a distinguished Greek senator . After establishing his political career , Dio Cassius began to write various literary works . His most famous and recognized work is called the Roman History , which consists of 80 books . This work is dominated by the change from a Roman republic to a monarchy of emperors , which Dio Cassius believed was the only way Rome could have a stable government . Today , the only surviving portion of the Roman History is the part from 69 BC to 46 AD . In his 31 book history , sometimes translated as The Roman History or The Roman Empire , Ammianus Marcellinus described the time from the reign of Nerva to the Battle of Adrianople , though the first thirteen books are lost . Bringing into the remaining books his own personal experiences in military services , his writing had a unique descriptive quality , of the geography , the events , and even the character of the actors . There is an active debate about whether the intent of the history was a continuation of Tacitus . The Scriptores Historiae Augustae is a compilation of biographies of the Roman emperors from 117 to 284 . Though claimed to be written by several different authors , contemporary research has shown that it may have only been written by one writer . This one author may have had good reason to disguise his identity , since much of the information in the Scriptores has also been found to be very unreliable . In Late Antiquity , a great quantity of breviaria , or short historical works , were published ( see Aurelius Victor , Eutropius , Festus , Epitome de Caesaribus ) . They had a common source , the so - called Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte ( Enmann 's History of the Emperors ) , which is lost . Zosimus was a pagan historian who wrote at c. 500 AD a history of Rome to 410 in six books . Although he could n't be compared with Ammianus Marcellinus , his work is important for the events after 378 . The important histories of Priscus and Olympiodorus of Thebes are lost except for some fragments . Velleius Paterculus was a Roman historian who lived from around 19 BC to after 30 AD . He wrote Historiae Romanae , which is a summary of Roman history from the founding of the city to 30 AD . Though almost all of his work is now missing , it is still a valuable source on the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius . He `` represents the adulatory type of history condemned by Tacitus , who ignores Velleius , as do all ancient authorities '' . See also ( edit ) Ancient history Greek historiography Library resources about Roman historiography Online books Resources in your library Resources in other libraries References ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` Suetonius '' . Encyclopædia Britannica , 2013 . Retrieved 24 April 2013 . Cooley , Alison E. Introduction . The Annals of Imperial Rome . By Tacitus . Trans . Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb . New York : Barnes & Noble , 2007 . Daugherty , Gregory N. Lecture . Randolph - Macon College . 25 September 2007 . Daugherty , Gregory N. Lecture . Randolph - Macon College . 18 October 2007 . Ewan , Colin . Caesar : De Bello Gallico 1 . London : Bristol Classical Press , 2002 . Gould , H.E. and Whiteley , J.L. Livy : Book 1 . 9th ed . London : Bristol Classical Press , 2001 . Hadas - Lebel , Mireille . Translated by Richard Miller . Flavius , Josephus : Eyewitness to Rome 's First Century Conquest of Judea . New York : Macmillan Publishing Company , 1993 . Hornblower , Simon and Spawforth , Antony . The Oxford Classical Dictionary . ( Third Edition ) New York : Oxford University Press , 1996 . McGushin , Patrick . Sallust : Bellum Catilinae . 3rd ed . London : Bristol Classical Press , 1995 . Miller , N.P. Tacitus : Annals 1 . London : Bristol Classical Press , 1992 . Polybius . The Histories I. Trans . W.R. Paton . Cambridge , Massachusetts : Harvard University Press , 1967 . Walbank , F.W. Polybius . Berkeley : University of California Press , 1972 . Further reading ( edit ) Aili , Hans . 1979 . The Prose Rhythm of Sallust and Livy . Stockholm : Almqvist & Wiksell . Damon , Cynthia . 2006 . `` Rhetoric and Historiography . '' In A Companion to Roman Rhetoric . Edited by W. Dominik and J. Hall , 439 - 450 . Oxford : Blackwell Publishers . Davies , Jason . 2004 . Rome 's Religious History : Livy , Tacitus , and Ammianus on their Gods . Cambridge , UK : Cambridge Univ . Press Eckstein , Arthur M. 1995 . Moral Vision in the Histories of Polybius . Berkeley : University of California Press . Humphries , Mark . 2002 . `` In Mommsen 's Shade : Roman Historiography , Past and Present . '' Classics Ireland 9 : 28 - 45 . Kraus , Christina Shuttleworth , John Marincola , C.B.R. Pelling , and A.J. Woodman , eds. 2010 . Ancient Historiography and its Contexts : Studies in Honour of A.J. Woodman . Oxford : Oxford Univ . Press . Kraus , Christina Shuttleworth , and A.J. Woodman. 1997 . Latin Historians . Oxford : Oxford Univ . Press . McDonald , A.H. 1975 . `` Theme and Style in Roman Historiography . '' Journal of Roman Studies 65 : 1 -- 10 . Mehl , Andreas . 2011 . Roman Historiography : An Introduction to its Basic Aspects and Development . Translated by Hans - Friedrich Mueller . Chichester , UK : Wiley - Blackwell Publishing . Miller , John F. , and A.J. Woodman , eds. 2010 . Latin Historiography and Poetry in the Early Empire Generic Interactions . Leiden , The Netherlands : Brill . Roller , Matthew . 2009 . `` The Exemplary Past in Roman Historiography and Culture . '' In The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Historians . Edited by Andrew Feldherr , 214 -- 230 . Cambridge , UK : Cambridge Univ . Press . Sacks , Kenneth . 1990 . Diodorus Siculus and the First Century . Princeton University Press . Usher , Stephen . 1970 . The Historians of Greece and Rome . New York : Taplinger . Vasaly , Ann . 2009 . `` Characterization and Complexity : Caesar , Sallust , and Livy . '' In The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Historians . Edited by Andrew Feldherr , 245 -- 260 . Cambridge , UK : Cambridge Univ . Press . 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1. Roman historiography
2. Greek influence on Roman historiography
3. Annalistic tradition in Roman historiography
4. Monographic tradition in Roman historiography
5. Propaganda in Roman historiography