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Ammianus' digressions and their narrative impact
Hanaghan, Michael Peter
Hanaghan, Michael Peter
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Abstract
Ammianus’ Res Gestaecontains some thirty-two digressions. These vary considerably in length and content. This chapter examines the narrative impact of four of these digressions, namely Julian’s Thracian campaign (22.8.1–48), the Persian pearls (23.6.85–88), the tragedian Phrynichus (28.1.2–5), and the bissextile day (26.1.7–14). These digressions suggest alternate histories, foreshadow plot developments, engage in metaliterary reflections on the narra-tive, and develop coded polemics, all the while providing powerful symbols for understanding the motivations and challenges of the leaders of the Roman empire in the fourth century. Each digression is directly connected to the main text, situ-ated within a network of digressions, as they reflect the history and historical vantage point of Ammianus’ age, and provide ample scope for metaphorical, allusive, narratological, and political implications.
Keywords
Ammianus Marcellinus, late antiquity, historiography, Emperor Julian, Persia
Date
2024
Type
Book chapter
Journal
Book
Digressions in Classical Historiography
Volume
Issue
Page Range
309-328
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
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Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open
Notes
© 2024 with the author(s), editing © 2024 Mario Baumann and Vasileios Liotsakis,
published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For details go to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For details go to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.