Ammianus

AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS. Rerum gestarum qui de XXXI supersunt, libri XVIII. Ope mss. codicum emendati ab Frederico Lindenbrogio & Henrico Hadrianoque Valesiis cum eorundem integris observationibus & annotationibus, item excerpta vetera de gestis Constantini & regum Italiae. Omnia nunc recognita ab Jacobo Gronovio, qui suas quoque notas passim inseruit & necessariis ad Ammiani illustrationem antiquis nummis ac figuris exornari curavit. Leyden, Pieter van der Aa, 1693.
Original edition of this important edition of the famous history of Rome by the fourth-century Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (ca. 325/330 - after 391), edited by Jacobus Gronovius. In the same year this work was also issued in folio by the same publisher. Ammianus Marcellinus was born between 325 and 330 to an educated family of Greek descent, probably at Antioch. The date of his death is unknown, but he must have lived until 391, as he mentions Aurelius Victor as the city prefect for that year. The surviving books of his valuable history cover the years 353 to 378; the work is sometimes referred to as <I>Res Gestae</I>. Ammianus served as a soldier in the army of Constantius II in Gaul and Persia. Eventually he settled in Rome during the early eighties of the fourth century, where, in his fifties he wrote this history of the Roman empire from the accession of Nerva (96) to the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople (378), thus forming a possible continuation of the work of Tacitus. The <I>Res Gestae</I> was originally in thirty-one books, but the first thirteen are lost. The surviving eighteen books cover the period from 353 to 378. As a whole it has been considered extremely valuable, being a clear, comprehensive and, according to Gibbon, impartial account of events by a contemporary. Like many ancient historians, Ammianus had a strong political and religious agenda to pursue, and he contrasted Constantius II with Julian to the former's constant disadvantage. Edward Gibbon judged Ammianus as 'an accurate and faithful guide, who composed the history of his own times without indulging the prejudices and passions which usually affect the mind of a contemporary'. Ammianus was a pagan, and some have said that he marginalises Christianity repeatedly in his account. Ernst Stein goes as far as praising Ammianus as 'the greatest literary genius that the world produced between Tacitus and Dante'.It is 'an admirable edition, highly spoke of by Ernesti and Harwood, and well known in the republic of literature. To the notes of Lindenbrogius and other editors (placed below the text) Gronovius has added some excellent annotations of his own. The vignettes are very neat' (Dibdin). Moss judges 'This edition is very deservedly esteemed among the best edited books in Holland. The text is published with great accuracy, the notes of Gronovius are very valuable, and it is adorned with elegant figures'.The editor Jacobus Gronovius (1645-1716) was a Dutch classical scholar. He was the son of the German classical scholar, professor Johann Friedrich Gronovius at Deventer, and father of the botanist Jan Frederik Gronovius. He studied in Leyden, Oxford and Cambridge. After travels to France and Italy where he was appointed professor at the university of Pisa, he returned to the Netherlands in 1674. In 1679 he was appointed professor of Greek and history at the Leyden University and later in 1692 he became also professor of eloquence. Gronovius is chiefly known as the editor of the famous <I>Thesaurus antiquitatum Graecarum</I> (1697-1702, in 13 volumes), but the present work is certainly among his best publications.<B><I>The two beautiful plates by the most famous late-seventeenth-century Dutch engraver and etcher Romeyn de Hooghe, especially made for this work, are not mentioned by Landwehr! </I></B>The very interesting plates depict battle scenes: (1) the battle against the Alamannen with their kings Chnodomarius and Vestralpus near Strassburg: 'Explanatio proelii ad Argentoratum (Ammianus, Lib. XVI, cap. XII), and (2) the capture of Amida in Turkey: 'Explanatio expugnatae Amidae', showing the use of elephants and all kind of siege machines (Lib. XVII, cap. IV).
Very good copy.- (Sl. age-browned as usual, tear in central folding part of obelisk-plate).
Dibdin I, p. 257; Moss, <I>Manual of Class. bibliogr</I>., p. 39; Brunet I, col. 237; Graesse I, col. 104; NNBW I, cols. 986-9; not in Landwehr, <I>Romeyn de Hooghe as book illustrator</I> !!; <B>ad binding: </B>Spoelder, <I>Prijsboeken</I>, p. 568 (Gouda 2).

4to. Contemporary vellum, ribbed decorated and gilt spine with title lettered in ink, sides with central gilt-stamped coat-of-arms of Gouda, surrounded by a thorn branch (Spoelder, p. 568: 'Gouda 2'), and double gilt filets along edges, red speckled edges. Full-page engraved allegorical frontispiece with Minerva sitting on a pedestal on with title in letterpress, printed title with engraved vignette, full-page engraved portrait of Gronovius by A. v. Zylvelt, 2 dated (1692) folding engraved battle scenes signed by Romeyn de Hooghe (ca. 232 x 355mm), folding engraved plate (468 x 328mm) of the famous Ramses obelisk erected in Rome, showing the hieroglyphs on all of its four sides, 6 full-page numbered engraved plates with Roman coins, 8 full-page engraved plates with Roman emperors on coins (space for title left blank), one half-page engraved illustration of Lacus Ascanius, and one engraved headpiece in text, woodcut end piece and initials. (68, incl. frontispiece), 724, (20) pp.

[SW: 17th Century; Greek & Latin; Romeyn de Hooghe; History; Numismatics; Rome]

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AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS. Ammiani Marcellini Rerum gestarum qui supersunt libri XVIII. Ad fidem MS. & veterum Codd. recensiti, & Observationibus illustrati. Ex. bibliotheca. Fr. Lindenbrogi. (&:) Fr. Lindenbrogi Observationes in Ammianum Marcellinum; et in eundem Collectanea variarum lectionum. Hamburg, ex Bibliopolio Frobeniano, 1609.

4to. 2 parts in 1: (VI),504 (recte 502),(49);276,(1 errata) p. Overlapping vellum. 21.5 cm - - Ref: VD17 23:230328M; Schweiger I,3: 'Neue Rezension nach Mss, besonders trefflichen Florentiner Codex'. Dibdin I,256: 'very excellent edition, the basis of many following ones'; Moss 1,38; Ebert 527; Graesse 1,104. - - Details: 6 thongs laced through cover; short title in ink on the back; woodcut printers' mark on the title; some woodcut initials and headpieces. - - Condition: Cover soiled & scratched; name on front flyleaf; paper age-toned; lacks owing to a binder's mistake the last preliminary leaf (*4), with on recto the last page of the praefatio and a blank verso; of this missing leaf a photocopy is added. - - Note: This 1609 edition with commentary by the German legal and classical scholar Friedrich Lindenbrog, 1573-1648, is the first edition which P. de Jonge mentions in the short list of normative Ammianus editions in the latest multi volume Groningen Ammianus edition, a project that was started in 1972 and is still in progress. The first part contains the Latin text, and the second part 266 pages with the 'observationes' and a collection of 'varia lectiones'. Sandys reports that this citizen of Hamburg was influenced by the genius J.J. Scaliger. (Sandys II,364). He studied in Leiden, and before this lawyer/philologist started a lucrative legal practice he produced a number of editions of Latin authors, among them Statius, Ammianus & Terentius, works that are still to be consulted nowadays (ADB 18, 692/93). There exist 2 versions of this edition, the text is the same, but the number of preliminary leaves differs. Ours has 3 preliminary leaves, but there are also copies with 7 preliminary leaves (VD17 1:687728). The latter edition shows also some small differences on the title, 'I.V.L' (Iuris Utriusque Licentiatus) is added to the name of Lindenbrog, and the impressum says 'in Bibliopolio Frobeniano', instead of 'ex Bibliopolio Frobeniano'. - - Provenance: on the front flyleaf the ownership entry of 'A.D. van Regteren Altena, Bergen'. - - Collation: *4 (*4 missing, *2 blank) A-3Z4, A-2M4 (last leaf blank). Photographs on request.

[SW: Antiquity, Antike, Altphilologie, Altertumswissenschaft, classical philology, Latin literature, römische Literatur, Latin, Lateinisch, Lateinische, ancient, Roman history, römische Geschichte, late Latin, Spätantike, Ammianus, Ammian]

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EDITED BY J. DEN BOEFT, J.W. DRIJVERS, D. DEN HENGST AND H.C. TEITLER.. Ammianus after Julian. BRILL. 2007.. BRILL, 2007. ; fester Einband / hard cover ISBN: 9789004162129
Hardback, x, 326 pp. , This listing is a new book, a title currently in-print which we order directly and immediately from the publisher. Hardback - In Books 26-31 Ammianus Marcellinus deals with the period of the emperors Valentinian and Valens. The representatives of the new dynasty differ greatly from their predecessor Julian, both personally and in their style of government. The Empire is divided between the two rulers, and suffers increasingly from barbarian invasions. Faced with these changes, Ammianus adapts his historical method. His treatment of the events becomes less detailed and more critical. The years following on the death of Julian are painted in dark colours, as the disaster at Hadrianople casts its shadow before. The papers in this volume, on History and Historiography, Literary Composition and Crisis of Empire, were presented during the conference Ammianus after Julian" held in 2005." - The reign of Valentinian and Valens in Books 26 - 31 of the Res Gestae - 289.

Hardback, NEAR FINE.

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AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS. Rerum gestarum libri XVIII, a decimoquarto ad trigesimum primum. nam XIII priores desiderantur. Quanto vero castigatior hic scriptor nunc prodeat, ex Hieronymi Frobenij epistola, quam hac de causa addidimus, cognosces. 1544 Paris, Robert Estienne

With woodcut printer's device on title, capital spaces with guide letters. Printed in Italics. 513 pp. Small 8vo. 18th-century calf, spine with red label gilt. From the collection of Hendrik D. L. Vervliet. Paris, Robert Estienne, 1544. The Roman history by Ammianus Marcellinus (c. 325/330-after 391), published by the French scholar and printer Robert Estienne (1503-1544), who is known for the elegance and accuracy of his books. Originally composed of 31 books, it comprises only 18 books, the first 13 having been lost, and covers the period from 353 to 378 (the battle of Adrianople). It is considered valuable for being a clear, comprehensive and impartial account of the events. Gibbons judged the author as "an accurate and faithful guide, who composed the history of his own times without indulging the prejudices and passions which usually affect the mind of a contemporary". In Ammianus' description of the Empire, especially the economic problems, an explanation for the sack of Rome only twenty years after his death becomes apparent. The present edition has a preface by Hieronymus Froben, dated Basel 1533 and contains the 31st book which was not included in Froben's edition. - Copious marginalia and underlinings in a neat contemporary hand. - Index aurel. 104.839; Adams A-972; Ebert I, 526; Renouard (Estienne) 61, 17. Not in STC (French). HISTORY (KULTURGESCHICHTE) ;

[SW: HISTORY (KULTURGESCHICHTE) ;]

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