Appianus Alexandrinus
Appianus of Alexandria
The historian of Roman wars
c. 95 AD – c. 165 AD
Appian was born around 95 AD in Alexandria and held administrative positions in Egypt before obtaining Roman citizenship and eventually a procuratorship. His Roman History, organised by wars rather than chronologically, covered the entire span of Roman military expansion.
Of the original twenty-four books, about half survive, including the invaluable accounts of the Spanish Wars, the Hannibalic War, and — most importantly — the five books of Civil Wars, covering the period from the Gracchi to the fall of Sextus Pompeius. His Civil Wars are a major source for the last century of the Roman Republic, preserving material from lost historians and offering a perspective distinct from Plutarch's biographical approach.
Works (14)
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1
Civil Wars history
Five books of civil wars from the Gracchi to the fall of the Republic. Appian organises Roman history by conflict rather than chronology — the result...
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8
Mithridatic Wars history
The wars against Mithridates VI of Pontus — three campaigns that brought Rome to the limits of the known world.
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10
Punic Wars history
The destruction of Carthage. Appian narrates the Third Punic War and the siege that ended with the city's annihilation in 146 BC.
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13
Syrian Wars history
Appian's account of the Syrian wars and Rome's conflict with the Seleucid Empire.
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14
Wars in Spain history
Appian's account of Rome's wars in Spain from the Second Punic War to the fall of Numantia.
Lost & Fragmentary Works
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Arabian WarsHistory
Rome's campaigns in Arabia, probably centring on Aelius Gallus's expedition to Arabia Felix under Augustus and Trajan's creation of the province of Arabia Petraea. Entirely lost.
Originally: 1 book (estimated). Surviving: Lost without trace.
Photius, Bibliotheca
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CenturyHistory
A history of the hundred years from the destruction of Carthage (146 BC) to the Battle of Actium (31 BC), covering events not treated in the Civil Wars. This would have provided Appian's account of the Jugurthine War, the Cimbrian invasions, the Social War, and the provincial campaigns of the Late Republic.
Originally: Unknown (possibly 1–2 books). Surviving: Lost without trace.
Photius, Bibliotheca; Appian's preface lists it
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Dacian WarsHistory
The wars against the Dacians, from Republican-era campaigns through Trajan's conquest. Appian may have carried this section down to the great campaigns of Trajan, which resulted in the creation of the province of Dacia and an enormous influx of gold to Rome.
Originally: 1 book (estimated). Surviving: Brief fragments only.
Appian's preface; Photius
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Egyptian WarsHistory
Appian's account of Rome's dealings with Ptolemaic Egypt, from the first contacts through Cleopatra and the annexation of Egypt by Augustus. Given that Appian was himself an Alexandrian, this would have been a deeply personal history, written by a man whose city had been transformed by Roman conquest. Its loss deprives us of the only Roman-era Egyptian perspective on these events.
Originally: 1 or 2 books. Surviving: A few brief fragments.
Photius, Bibliotheca; Appian's own preface
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Parthian WarsHistory
Rome's conflicts with the Parthian Empire, from Crassus's catastrophe at Carrhae through Trajan's Parthian campaign. This would have been a major work covering Rome's most persistent and dangerous eastern rival.
Originally: Unknown. Surviving: Brief fragments in Photius and the Suda.
Photius, Bibliotheca