The last great Latin history. Ammianus continues Tacitus' narrative from AD 96 to 378, covering Julian the Apostate, the Persian wars, and the Gothic invasion that ended at Adrianople. A Greek-speaking soldier writing in Latin with unflinching honesty about an empire in crisis.
Start ReadingAn anonymous late-antique chronicle on the rise of Constantine, traditionally transmitted alongside Ammianus' Res Gestae but authored by a different hand.
The surviving narrative begins in 353 AD with the Caesar Gallus and his misrule in the East, ending with his arrest, trial, and execution.
Julian's early career. Ammianus introduces the future emperor Julian, his education and philosophical temperament, and his appointment as Caesar in Gaul.
Julian's campaigns in Gaul. The young Caesar proves himself a brilliant commander, defeating the Alamanni at the battle of Strasbourg in 357.
Julian continues his Gallic campaigns. Military successes on the Rhine frontier and growing tensions with the emperor Constantius.
Events in the East. Persian campaigns and Roman frontier defence, interwoven with court intrigues at Constantinople.
The Persian siege of Amida. One of the most vivid siege narratives in ancient literature — Ammianus was inside the city and barely escaped.
Julian is proclaimed Augustus by his troops in Paris. The usurpation that transforms a provincial commander into a rival emperor, setting the stage for civil war.
Julian marches east against Constantius. The civil war that never happened — Constantius dies of natural causes before the armies meet, and Julian enters Constantinople unopposed.
Julian's reign as sole emperor. His programme of pagan restoration, legal and administrative reforms, and preparation for the Persian campaign.
Julian invades Persia. The massive Roman expedition advances down the Euphrates toward Ctesiphon, with Ammianus as a participant and eyewitness.
The defeat and retreat from Persia. Julian reaches Ctesiphon but cannot take it, burns his fleet, and is forced into a disastrous retreat. Julian is killed in a skirmish — the death of the last pagan emperor.
Jovian's brief reign. The army elects a Christian emperor who signs a humiliating peace with Persia and dies after eight months. Valentinian becomes emperor.
The reign of Valentinian I. Roman campaigns on the Rhine and Danube frontiers, the revolt of Firmus in Africa, and the administration of the western empire.
Valentinian's campaigns on the Danube and in Africa. Continuing frontier warfare and the challenges of governing a vast empire in the age of barbarian pressure.
Valens and the East. The Gothic crisis develops as displaced Gothic peoples seek refuge within the Roman empire, with catastrophic consequences.
The Gothic emergency escalates. Roman mismanagement transforms displaced refugees into a hostile army inside the empire's borders.
The storm breaks. Gothic war ravages the Balkans as the eastern emperor Valens prepares for a decisive confrontation.
The battle of Adrianople, 378 AD. The Gothic cavalry destroys the Roman army and kills the emperor Valens — the worst Roman military disaster since Cannae, and the beginning of the end for the western empire.