Roman historiography

During the Second Punic War with Carthage, Rome's earliest known writers about history, like Quintus Fabius Pictor and Lucius Cincius Alimentus, told stories in Greek. They often used ideas from other Greek writers, such as Timaeus. It wasn't until the 2nd century BCE that Roman histories began to be written in Classical Latin, starting with the Origines by Cato the Elder.

Greek historians like Polybius also wrote about Rome's rise as it grew stronger during its conquest of Greece and became the main power in the Mediterranean around that time. Later, in the 1st century BCE, Roman historians such as Sallust, Livy, and even Julius Caesar told their stories in a more complete narrative style.

Caesar's book De Bello Gallico focused on his wars in Gaul, while other Roman histories often began with the origin myth of the founding of Rome. These early Roman histories influenced later writers during the Imperial and Principate times, including Tacitus and Suetonius.

History

Foundation

The earliest Roman historians wrote in Greek, influenced by Greek writers. It wasn't until the 2nd century BCE that Romans began writing history in Latin. One of the first Roman historians, Polybius, was a Greek who was captured by the Romans. He wrote about Roman history to help Greeks understand and accept Roman rule.

Before the Second Punic War, Rome did not have its own historians. Two Roman senators, Quintus Fabius Pictor and Lucius Cincius Alimentus, began writing history during this war. They wrote in Greek, partly to gain support from Greeks who might have favored Carthage. They also believed Greek was a better language for serious topics like history.

Cato the Elder was the first Roman to write history in Latin. His work, called Origines, taught Romans about what it meant to be Roman. Like earlier writers, he focused on the history from the founding of Rome.

The annalistic tradition

Some Roman historians wrote year by year, starting from the founding of Rome. These writers copied the style of official Roman records kept by important priests.

Examples of these year-by-year historians include:

Gnaeus Gellius, who wrote from the time of Aeneas up to 146 BCE.
Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi, who wrote about Rome's decline.
Publius Mucius Scaevola, who wrote an 80-book history from Rome's founding.
Sempronius Asellio, who wrote about the Punic Wars.
Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius, who focused on wars and praised Roman honor.

The monographic tradition

Other historians wrote about specific topics instead of covering all of Roman history. These books are like modern history books. One important type was biography.

Examples of these focused historians include:

Gaius Gracchus, who wrote about his brother Tiberius Gracchus.
Lucius Coelius Antipater, who wrote about the Second Punic War with better style and fact-checking.
Sallust, who wrote about two important events: the Catilinarian conspiracy and the war with Jugurtha.

Factionalized history

Sometimes, especially during political trouble, historians would rewrite history to support their side. For example, during conflicts between leaders like Marius and Sulla, different writers supported different factions.

Later historians like Sallust and Livy looked at why the Roman Republic fell, often blaming moral decline among the rich. Other writers had different views on what caused problems in Rome.

Augustinian historians

Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who wrote a universal history from mythic times to the 1st century BCE.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus was another Greek writer in Rome who wrote about Rome's early history.

Early Imperial historiography

Livy

Livy wrote a huge history of Rome from its founding until 9 BCE. His work is called Ab Urbe Condita. Though only part of it survives, it shows how Livy saw Roman history as a way to teach moral lessons. He believed Rome's success came from its strong morals, and that moral decline could lead to failure.

Tacitus

Tacitus was a Roman historian who wrote about the emperors after Augustus. His works include Agricola, Germania, Dialogus, Histories, and Annales. Tacitus was known for his sharp, direct style and his critical views of many emperors.

Suetonius

Suetonius wrote biographies of the early Roman emperors. His most famous work is De Vita Caesarum, which covers the lives of emperors from Julius Caesar to Domitian. Unlike other historians, Suetonius organized his biographies by themes rather than strictly by time. This made it hard to follow the exact order of events but helped him compare the emperors.

Other Early Imperial historians

Pliny the Elder wrote about natural history and the German wars.
Titus Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian who wrote about the Jewish wars and the history of the Jewish people.
Velleius Paterculus wrote a summary of Roman history but most of his work is lost.

Late Antiquity

In later times, many short histories were written. One important work is the Historia Augusta, which contains biographies of Roman emperors from 117 to 284. Modern scholars think it was written by one person, not several, and that it mixes fact with fiction.

Ammianus Marcellinus wrote a history covering from the reign of Nerva to the Battle of Adrianople. His work is known for its vivid descriptions, though the first part is lost.

Zosimus was a historian who wrote about Rome up to the year 410. His work is less detailed than Ammianus' but remains an important source for later events.

Characteristics

Annals are a way of writing history by looking at events year by year. In Roman history, these years usually start from when the city of Rome was founded. They include important events and who was in charge each year. At first, these annals were used by priests to note special signs and events.

One famous set of annals was called the Annales Maximi, kept by an important Roman official. It included names of leaders, big public events, and unusual occurrences. Monographs were detailed books about one specific topic, like how soldiers used certain tools.

Many Roman histories start from the founding of Rome, called ab urbe condita. Some books spend a lot of time on early days, while others mention them only briefly.

Some histories were written by Roman senators, giving special insights because they were close to politics. These writers sometimes had their own reasons for writing, like supporting certain leaders.

Roman writers often used clever hints and suggestions to share their ideas, especially when they couldn’t say things directly. Their writings often had hidden meanings or criticism.

Writers like Caesar kept simple records of events, which were later turned into full histories. Roman historians usually wrote to share lessons and influence others, often mixing facts with their own views and goals.

Main article: Main articles: Roman Senator populares optimates Tiberius Augustus Commentarii Gallic Wars Propaganda Polybius