Historia Augusta

• 1. Origins And Title Evolution

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  Isaac Casaubon published a critical edition of the Historia Augusta in 1603, establishing the modern name for this late Roman collection. Before his work, the text appeared under different titles within manuscript traditions like the Codex Palatinus written during the ninth century. That specific manuscript records the title as Vitae Diversorum Principum et Tyrannorum a Divo Hadriano usque ad Numerianum Diversis compositae. This long Latin phrase translates to The Lives of various Emperors and Tyrants from the Divine Hadrian to Numerian by Various Authors. Scholars assume the original work may have been called de Vita Caesarum or Vitae Caesarum. How widely the work circulated in late antiquity remains unknown, but its earliest known use appears in a Roman History composed by Quintus Aurelius Memmius Symmachus in 485. Lengthy citations from the text appear in authors of the sixth and ninth centuries including Sedulius Scottus who quoted parts of the Marcus Aurelius biography within his Liber de Rectoribus Christianis.

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• 2. Textual Transmission History

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  Existing manuscripts of the Historia Augusta fall into three distinct groups that reveal significant textual corruption over time. A manuscript from the first quarter of the ninth century known as Vatican Pal lat 899 contains several lacunae marked with dots indicating missing letters. This codex also shows confusion in the order of biographies between Verus and Alexander alongside transposition of passages where two long sections became loose and inserted in wrong places. Six centuries of editorial corrections follow on this manuscript beginning with Petrarch and Poggio Bracciolini yet none of these editors betray knowledge of any other witness. A group of fifteenth-century manuscripts designated as Sigma rearrange lives in chronological order while subjecting corruptions to drastic emendations or omitting them altogether. Research through the 1980s suggests these improvements come from sources independent of the earlier codex though Peter Marshall notes readings nowhere provide beyond powers of humanists active at the time. Three different sets of excerpts exist one possibly by Sedulius Scottus but how they relate to the primary codex remains unclear. The editio princeps published in Milan in 1475 used a copy of the Codex Palatinus likely made for Petrarch in 1356 as its basis.

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• 3. Authorship Dating Debates

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  Hermann Dessau proposed in 1889 that six authors were all fictitious personae and the work composed by a single author in the late fourth century probably during reign of Theodosius I. He pointed to anachronistic terms Vulgar Latin vocabulary and host of obviously false proper names within the text as evidence. For instance life of Septimius Severus appeared to use passage from mid-fourth-century historian Aurelius Victor where Sev 17.5, 19.4 copied from Victor Caes 20.1 and 10, 30 mixes emperor Didius Julianus with legal scholar Salvius Julianus. Life of Marcus Aurelius likewise uses material from Eutropius MA 16.3, 18.2 lifted from Eutropius 8.11. Ronald Syme restated these arguments powerfully in 1960s and 1970s devoting three books to subject and dating writing closely region AD 395. Most scholars now accept theory of single author unknown identity writing after 395 though Arnaldo Momigliano and A H M Jones remained prominent critics among English-speaking scholars. Momigliano defined question as res iudicanda not res iudicata reviewing every book published on topic by Ronald Syme providing counter-arguments to most if not all his points. Alan Cameron rebutted Syme's arguments in twenty-first century suggesting composition date between 361 and 380s instead.

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• 4. Fictional Documents And Sources

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  The collection contains around 150 alleged documents including 68 letters 60 speeches and proposals to people or senate plus 20 senatorial decrees and acclamations. Almost all found in Historia Augusta rejected as fabrications partly on stylistic grounds partly because they refer to military titles or administrative organisation unrecorded until long after purported date. Biographer Cordus cited twenty-seven times in History considered real but lost biographer midway into twentieth century yet every other citation fake providing details invented and ascribed to him. Herodian used more often than explicitly referenced in History with ten correct citations alongside three where material cited as Arrianan probably multiply author sources. Quintus Gargilius Martialis produced works on horticulture and medicine cited twice as biographer another false attribution. Biography of Geta states born Mediolanum on the 27th of May year unspecified suffect consulships Severus and Vitellius actually born Rome the 7th of March 189 no such pair existed. Letter Hadrian written Egypt brother-in-law Servianus accepted genuine many authorities well into twentieth century though Hadrian Egypt 130 Servianus consulship fell 134 adopted Aelius 136.

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• 5. Satire And Literary Purpose

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  Syme argued mistake regard work historical at all clear propaganda purpose determined theorizing primarily literary product exercise satire produced rogue scholiast catering making fun parodying antiquarian tendencies Theodosian age. Opening section life Aurelian records supposed conversation City Prefect Rome during festival Hilaria where Prefect urges write choose invent know not. Trebellius Pollio Flavius Vopiscus Syracusius names sourced various ways Cicero writings first century BC Lucius Trebellius supporter Mark Antony mentioned Philippics Epistulae ad Familiares Pollentiam reminded Asinius Pollio fellow plebeian tribune historian. Cognomen Fides adopted actions Plebeian Tribune 47 BC resist laws abolish debts later fell debt began supporting debt abolishment Cicero used cognomen method abuse ridicule selecting name playing concepts fides fidelitas historica precise point lives assigned Trebellius Pollio Flavius Vopiscus Syracusius. David Rohrbacher maintains author no political theological agenda History equivalent literary puzzle game reader understanding enjoyment numerous elaborate complicated allusions contained within only purpose existence.

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• 6. Historical Reliability Assessment

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  Modern scholars treat Historia Augusta with extreme caution though it remains principal Latin source regarding century Roman history. Anthony Birley argues lives up to Septimius Severus based now-lost biographies Marius Maximus written sequel Suetonius Lives Twelve Caesars Ronald Syme theorized virtually identifiable citations Marius Maximus essentially frivolous interpolations main narrative source postulated different Latin author styled Ignotus good biographer. Table shows estimated amount reliable historical details some secondary and later primary vitae Aelius Secondary 25% Pescennius Niger Secondary 29% Clodius Albinus Secondary 32% Opellius Macrinus Primary 33% Aurelian Primary 27% Total approximately 17%. Inscription uncovered confirmed existence Veturius Macrinus praetorian prefect 193 Hadrian Wall constructed during Hadrian reign Antonine Wall built reign Antoninus Pius recorded no other extant ancient writer apart from Historia Augusta veracity points confirmed inscriptions. Tyranni Triginta chapter contains 32 mini-biographies include two women six youths seven men never claimed imperial power one usurper reign Maximinus Thrax one time Decius two time Aurelian number not historical personages Postumus Younger Saturninus Trebellianus Celsus Titus Censorinus Victorinus Junior.

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