Late Antique Historiography

The war of emperor Constantius against Magnentius

Title(s):
  • The war of emperor Constantius against Magnentius
  • Constantini imperatoris bellum adversus Magnentium
    (Constantini imperatoris bellum adversus Magnentium, The war of emperor Constantine against Magnentius)
Author:
Period covered:
351-353
Language:
Latin
State of Preservation:
Fragmentary
Genre:
  • Poetry (historical epic)
Remarks:
De Montfaucon is the first to mention a poem of Proba dedicated to the war between Constantius II and Magnentius. He found it attested in a tenth-century manuscript of Proba's Cento (cf. 1702: 36), which wrongly presents the emperor as Constantine.
The undetermined work has been linked to the first eight verses of Proba's Cento, where the poetess remembers what she wrote about 'cruel wars of kings' (cf. v. 3; see Schottenius Cullhed 2015: 114-116). The poem on Constantius has been identified with this past production. Alan Cameron, in particular, thought Proba's epic to anticipate the panegyrics of Claudianus (cf. 2004: 352). According to him, the verses of Proba got lost for their poor literary level (cf. 2004: 353). Conversely, Baldini and Rizzi attributed their loss to the author herself. In their opinion, she got rid of her past (pagan) works after her conversion to Christianity (cf. 2011: 50). Schottenius Cullhed (2015: 114-117) argues that Proba never wrote an epic concerning the war against Magnentius and that the note read by Montfaucon is the conjecture of a medieval scribe. This is indeed likely.
Edition - Translation:
Fragments:
Users:
Sources:
Bibliography:
  • A. Baldini, A. Rizzi (2011) Proba: Il Centone. Bologna.
  • T.D. Barnes (2006) 'An urban prefect and his wife'. The Classical Quarterly 56: 249-256.
  • B. Bleckmann (1999) 'Die Schlacht von Mursa und die zeitgenössische Deutung eines spätantiken Bürgerkrieges' in Hartwin Brandt (ed), Gedeutete Realität, Stuttgart: 47-101.
  • Al. Cameron (2004) 'Poetry and literary culture in Late Antiquity'. In: Approaching Late Antiquity: The transformation from early to late Empire, ed. S. Swain - M.J. Edwards. Oxford: 327-354.
  • Al. Cameron (2011) The last pagans of Rome. Oxford.
  • J. Curran (2012) 'Virgilizing Christianity in late antique Rome'. In: Two Romes: Rome and Constantinople in Late Antiquity, ed. L. Grig - G. Kelly (Oxford studies in Late Antiquity). Oxford: 325-344.
  • R.P.H. Green (1997) 'Proba's introduction to her Cento'. The Classical Quarterly 47: 548-559.
  • R.P.H. Green (2008) 'Which Proba wrote the Cento?'. The Classical Quarterly 58: 264-276.
  • J. Matthews (1992) 'The poetess Proba and fourth-century Rome'. In: Institutions, société et vie politique dans l'Empire Romain au IVe siècle ap. J.-C., ed. M. Christol - S. Demougin - Y. Duval - C. Lepelley - L. Pietri. Rome: 277-304.
  • A. Baldini, A. Rizzi (2011) Proba: Il Centone. Bologna.
  • S. Schottenius Cullhed (2015) Proba the prophet: The Christian virgilian cento of Faltonia Betitia Proba. Leiden - Boston.