Late Antique Historiography

Origins of the Roman people

Title(s):
  • Origins of the Roman people
  • Origo gentis Romanae
    (Origo gentis Romanae, Origins of the Roman people)
Author:
Period covered:
Saturnus-Romulus and Remus
Language:
Latin
State of Preservation:
Full
Genre:
  • Secular history (antiquarianism)
  • Secular history (breviarium)
Remarks:
The work is the first segment of the so-called Corpus Aurelianum, a tripartite compilation including also On illustrious men of Rome and the Epitome de Caesaribus. The corpus was collected after 361. The author of the Origo can be identified neither with the authors of the other two works, nor with the editor of the compilation. Therefore, the dating of the work is still under discussion (Banchich 2004: ii) and it has even been suggested that the work is sixth-century in date. While analyzing the authors quoted by the Origo, Cameron (2004: 328-334) highlights the limited reliability of many of its references. Schmidt (2989) argues that the work reflects various stages of elaboration: a republican work relying on Verrius Flaccus, a late ancient epitome, a reworking of that epitome, and the medieval creation of the corpus Aurelianum.
Edition - Translation:
  • R. Pichlmayr, R. Gruendel (1966) Sexti Aurelii Victoris Liber de Caesaribus: Praecedunt Origo gentis Romanae et Liber de uiris illustribus urbis Romae, subsequitur Epitome de Caesaribus (Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana). Second edition. Leipzig.
  • J.-C. Richard (1983) Pseudo-Aurélius Victor: Les origines du peuple romain. Paris.
  • T.M. Banchich (2004) Origo gentis Romanae: The origin of the Roman race (Canisius College translated texts, 3). New York.
  • G. D'Anna (1992) Anonimo: Origine del popolo romano. Rome - Milan.
  • H.-J. Hillen (2003) Von Aeneas zu Romulus: Die Legenden von der Gründung Roms. Düsseldorf.
  • M. Sehlmeyer (2004) Origo gentis Romanae: Die Ursprung des römischen Volkes (Texte zur Forschung, 82). Darmstadt.
Fragments:
Users:
Sources:
Bibliography:
  • Al. Cameron (2004) Greek mythography in the Roman world. Oxford.
  • L. Cardinali (1997) Origo gentis Romanae, De viris illustribus: Concordantiae et indices (Alpha - Omega. Reihe A: Lexika, Indizes, Konkordanzen zur klassischen Philologie, 186). Hildesheim - Zürich - New York.
  • A. Mazzarino (1993-1994) 'Appunti sul metodo III: Per un'edizione critica dell'Origo gentis Romanae'. Helikon 33-34: 482-512.
  • A. Mazzarino (1958) 'Some observations on the Origo gentis Romanae'. The Journal of Roman Studies 48: 56-73. Roman Studies 48: 56-73.
  • P.L. Schmidt (1978) '(Aur.) Victor'. In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft Suppl. 15: 1583-1667.
  • P.L. Schmidt (1989) '§532.1 Origo gentis Romanae'. In: Restauration und Erneuerung: Die lateinische Literatur von 284 bis 374 n. Chr., ed. R. Herzog (Handbuch der lateinischen Literatur der Antike, 8.5). Munich: 184-187.
  • C.J. Smith (2005) 'The Origo gentis Romanae: Facts and fictions'. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 48: 97-136.