Late Antique Historiography

New history

Title(s):
  • New history
  • Νέα Ἱστορία
    (Nea historia, New history)
Author:
Period covered:
490 B.C.-410
Language:
Greek
State of Preservation:
Partial
Genre:
  • Secular history (classicizing history)
  • Secular history (general)
Remarks:
It is generally agreed that Zosimus, New history 1.47-5.25 is an abridged version of Eunapius, and that 5.26-6.13 is a shortened version of Olympiodorus of Thebes. It is likely that Zosimus used a collection of oracles as a source too. Such a collection may have been based on a common source with John of Lydus, as Goffart (1971) has noticed.
The idea that Zosimus is a bad yet essentially passive copier of his main sources (see esp. the work of Paschoud), is too negative.
Edition - Translation:
  • L. Mendelssohn (1887) Zosimi comiti et exadvocati fisci historia nova. Leipzig.
  • F. Paschoud (2000) (ed.) Zosime: Histoire nouvelle. Volume One. Second edition. Paris.
  • F. Paschoud (1971-1989) (ed.) Zosime: Histoire nouvelle. Volumes Two and Three. Paris.
  • R.T. Ridley (1982) (ed.) Zosimus: New history, translated with notes. Canberra.
  • O. Veh, S. Rebenich (1990). Zosimus: Neue Geschichte. Stuttgart.
  • J. Candau Morón (1992) Zosimo. Nueva historia. Madrid.
Fragments:
Users:
Sources:
Bibliography:
  • J. Arce (1984) Estudios sobre el emperador Fl. Cl. Juliano. Madrid: 65-73.
  • R. Blockley (1980) 'Was the first book of Zosimus' New history based on more than two sources?'. Byzantion 50: 393-402.
  • Al. Cameron (1968) 'Gratian's repudiation of the pontifical robe'. The Journal of Roman studies 58: 96-99.
  • Al. Cameron (1969) 'The date of Zosimus' New History'. Philologus 113: 106-110.
  • W.R. Chalmers (1960) 'Eunapius, Ammianus Marcellinus, and Zosimus on Julian's Persian Expedition'. The Classical Quarterly 54, n.s. 10: 152-160.
  • H. Cichocka (1982) 'La prose rhythmique de Zosime'. Jarhbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik 32: 345-354.
  • F. Conca (2007) Zosimo. Storia nuova. Milan.
  • L. Cracco Ruggini (1976) 'Zosimo, ossia il rovesciamento delle Storie ecclesiastiche'. Augustinianum 16: 23-26.
  • L. Cracco Ruggini (1977) 'The ecclesiastical histories and the pagan historiography: Providence and miracles'. Athenaeum 55: 107-126.
  • W. Goffart (1971) 'Zosimus the first historian of Rome's fall'. The American historical review 76: 412-441.
  • U. Hartmann (2014) '"Und die Pronoia hat die Menschheit noch nicht verlassen": Die Konstruktion der Geistesgeschichte als pagane Gegenwelt in Eunaps Philosophenviten'. In: Griechische Profanhistoriker des fünften nachchristlichen Jahrhundert, eds B. Bleckmann - T. Stickler. Stuttgart: 51-84.
  • W. Klein (1914) Studien zu Ammianus Marcellinus. Leipzig: 58-134.
  • G. Moravcsik (1958) Byzantinoturcica: Die byzantinischen Quellen der Geschichte der Türkvölker. Berlin: 577-579.
  • F. Paschoud (1985) 'Zosime et la fin de l'ouvrage historique d'Eunape'. Orpheus N.S. 6: 44-61.
  • F. Paschoud (2006) Eunape, Olympiodore, Zosime. Bari.
  • R.T. Ridley (1972) 'Zosimus the Historian'. Byzantinische Zeitschrift 65: 277-302.
  • P. Speck (1991) 'Wie dumm darf Zosimos sein? Vorschläge zu seiner Neubewertung'. Byzantinoslavica 52: 1-14.
  • J. Szidat (2012) 'Historische Fiktion bei Zosimus: Der Tod Valentinians II.'. Historia 61: 368-382.
  • P. Van Nuffelen (2004) 'Sozomenus und Olympiodorus, oder wie man Profangeschichte lesen soll'. Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum 47: 81-97.
  • P. Van Nuffelen (2018) 'Zosimus'. In: Brill encyclopedia of early Christianity Online.