current research project

A Commentary on Herodian’s “History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus”

My current research project focuses on Herodian’s “History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus”. This work, composed in the 3rd century AD, describes in eight short books the history of Rome from the death of Marcus Aurelius to the sole rule of Gordianus III (AD 180-238). The aim of the project is to write a commentary on the “History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus” which will provide the readers with a broad-ranging historical contextualisation, thus enabling them to interpret Herodian’s text in the light of contemporary literary and social discourses. To this end, the commentary analyses how the narrative of the “History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus” is shaped by motifs and plot structures of ancient drama and of the ancient novel. It further investigates how Herodian’s history engages with contemporary discourses of παιδεία (education), focussing on the debates about rhetoric and philosophy in the imperial period.