Corpus Aurelianum

The Corpus Aurelianum , named after the Roman historian Aurelius Victor (approx. 320–390), contains a compilation of the so-called Historia tripertita , three writings on Roman history compiled in the 4th century (after 360) by an unknown person :

• Origo gentis Romanae ( origin of the Roman people ) with the legends of Roman prehistory and early history and the foundation of Rome
• Viri illustres urbis Romae , on The Famous Men of Rome
• Liber de Caesaribus , the imperial story of Aurelius Victor

The corpus has survived in two medieval manuscripts :

• P = Codex Pulmanni (or Codex Bruxellensis ) by Dierick Poelman (1511–1581), Brussels paper manuscript of the 15th century (Bibl. Reg. N. 9755-63, fol. 52–81)
• O = Codex Oxoniensis of Cardinal Bessarion (approx. 1400–1472), Oxford paper manuscript from the 1450s,

A third manuscript is lost today:

• M = Codex Metelli of Johannes Metellus (approx. 1510–1598)

The Corpus Aurelianum in the manuscripts P and O is based on a common model, but whether this was in the Codex Metelli is doubtful.

literature

• Hans Jürgen Hillen: From Aeneas to Romulus. The legends of the founding of Rome. With a Latin-German edition of the Origo gentis Romanae. Düsseldorf / Zurich 2003, pp. 222–228
• Ps. Aurelius Victor: De viris illustribus urbis Romae. The famous men of the city of Rome. Latin and German. Edited, translated and commented by Joachim Fugmann , Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2016