Historia Augusta

Title(s):
  • Historia Augusta
  • Vitae diversorum principum et tyrannorum a divo Hadriano usque ad Numerianum
    (Vitae diversorum principum et tyrannorum a divo Hadriano usque ad Numerianum, Lives of various emperors and usurpers from the divine Hadrian to Numerian)
  • Vita Caesarum
    (Vita Caesarum, Lives of emperors)
  • De vita principum
    (De vita principum, On the lives of emperors)
Period covered:
117-283
Language:
Latin
State of Preservation:
Full
Genre:
  • Biography (collective)
Remarks:
The work pretends to be written under Diocletian and Constantine, by six different authors. Dessau (1889) demonstrated that this is an imposture and that the work is single-authored. He argues that it dates to the later fourth century. The work is now mostly dated towards the very end of the fourth century. It is usually seen as a work of pagan Roman circles critical of Christianity, but this idea has been attacked by Alan Cameron (2011). Many identifications of its author have been proposed, but none carries conviction. The series of Historia Augusta colloquia that have been taking place since the 1960s continues until today. For a re-assessment of the manuscript transmission, see Shedd 2021.
Edition - Translation:
Fragments:
Bibliography:
  • A. Berger, J. Fontaine, P.L. Schmidt (2020) Handbuch der Lateinischen Literatur. Sechster Band: Die Literatur im Zeitalter des Theodosius. Erster Teil: Fachprosa, Dichtung, Kunstprosa. Munich: 643-679.
  • Al. Cameron (2011) The last pagans of Rome. Oxford: 743-782.
  • H. Dessau (1889) 'Über Zeit und Persönlichkeit der Scriptores Historiae Augustae'. Hermes 24: 337-392.
  • S. Ratti (2010) Antiquus error: Les ultimes feux de la résistence païenne. Scripta varia augmentés de cinq études inédites. Turnhout.
  • E. Savino (2017) Ricerche sull'Historia Augusta. Naples.
  • M. Shedd (2021) ' The Historia Augusta before MS Pal. Lat. 899: Lost manuscripts and scribal mediation'. The Classical Quarterly 71: 402-421.
  • J. Stover (2020) 'New Light on the Historia Augusta'. Journal of Roman Studies 110: 167-192/
  • R. Syme (1971) Emperors and biography. Oxford.
  • M. Thomson (2007) 'The original title of the Historia Augusta'. Historia 56: 123-125.