Roman history (Theodor Mommsen)

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The German historian Theodor Mommsen published a multi-volume account of the history of the Roman Empire from 1854 to 1885 under the title Roman History . For this work Mommsen was the first German to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902 . To this day it is an important work for Ancient History .

publication

Originally, five volumes were planned to cover the history of Rome from its beginnings to the time of Diocletian . The first three volumes appeared annually from 1854 to 1856 and cover the period up to Gaius Iulius Caesar . A fourth volume was not published; In 1885 the fifth volume was a presentation on The Provinces from Caesar to Diocletian . The first three volumes were divided by Mommsen into five books (first to third, fourth and fifth), the fifth volume represents the eighth book in this number.

effect

Since its publication, Mommsen's work has been praised for its competent, comprehensive performance in an appealing narrative style. Well-known among ancient historians and students are Mommsen's characterizations of prominent figures, for example his negative judgment on Marcus Tullius Cicero :

"As a statesman without insight, opinion and intention, he has figured successively as a democrat, as an aristocrat and as an instrument of the monarchs and has never been more than a short-sighted egoist."

- Theodor Mommsen : Roman history . Vol. 3: From Sulla's death to the battle of Thapsus. Weidmann, Leipzig 1856, p. 572

expenditure

Web links

Wikisource: Theodor Mommsen  - Sources and full texts