Rufus Festus, Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani

Constance Sleeth (University of Otago)

Ed. by William John Dominik, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 379

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Historical representation

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The

Breviarium Rerum Gestarum Populi Romani

, or more simply the

Breviarium

, is a very brief history of the Roman world from the foundation of Rome to the events of the mid-fourth century A.D. This breviary was written by a certain Festus, a bureaucrat working in the employ of the Emperor Valens. There remains controversy over the identification of Festus, although most scholars are now inclined to identify him with one Festus of Tridentum, a proconsul of Asia who appears in the work of Ammianus Marcellinus (the most recent synopsis and discussion of Festus’ identity is Kelly 2010). Festus dedicated his

Breviarium

to both Valens and Valentinian I, but the work was written primarily with the Emperor Valens in mind, for it was likely written in the winter of 369 or the spring of 370,…

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502 words

Citation: Sleeth, Constance. "Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 September 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=33493, accessed 24 November 2024.]

Rufus Festus, Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani

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