Justin (historian)
Justin (Latin: Marcus Junianus Justinus Frontinus), commonly known as Justin the historian, was a Latin-language historian of antiquity best known for his abridgment of the lost Historiae Philippicae (Philippic Histories) of Pompeius Trogus. His surviving work is conventionally called the Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus.
Little is known about Justin's personal life. His exact date is uncertain, with scholarly estimates ranging from the middle of the second century to the late fourth century A.D. His work is frequently associated with the period around A.D. 200, although the evidence does not establish a precise date.[1]
Justin's history is particularly important because the original work of Pompeius Trogus has been lost. His surviving account preserves historical material concerning numerous ancient peoples and states, especially the Greek and Macedonian world and the Hellenistic kingdoms that arose following the conquests of Alexander the Great.[2]
Life and identity
The personal history of Justin is largely unknown. No secure account of his birthplace, family, education, or public career survives outside the work attributed to him. Consequently, attempts to establish his identity and precise date depend principally upon the language, style, and historical context of his surviving text.
Justin should not be confused with Justin Martyr, the second-century Christian apologist. They were different historical figures whose names have sometimes caused confusion in discussions of ancient literature.[3]
The Epitome of Pompeius Trogus
Origin and purpose
During the reign of Augustus, Pompeius Trogus composed a universal history in Latin, traditionally known as the Historiae Philippicae. The work consisted of forty-four books and surveyed the histories of peoples and kingdoms beyond Rome as well as the major political developments of the ancient world.
The original history of Trogus has not survived. Justin's Epitome is the principal continuous surviving account of this work and is an important source for reconstructing portions of Trogus's historical narrative.[2]
In the preface to his work, Justin explains that he selected material from Trogus's forty-four books that he considered especially worthy of being known. He says that he excluded passages that he regarded as neither entertaining to read nor necessary as examples for instruction. He likens his selection to a small collection of flowers gathered from a much larger work.[4]
Justin's stated approach indicates that his work was not intended simply to reproduce every part of Trogus's history. It was a selective presentation designed to retain material that Justin considered interesting or instructive.
Historical contents
The Epitome preserves accounts of the ancient Assyrians, Medes and Persians, Greek city-states, Macedonia, and the kingdoms and peoples that played important roles in the Hellenistic world. It includes narratives concerning Alexander the Great and the struggles among his successors, as well as the histories of other powers whose affairs frequently receive less attention in surviving Roman histories.
The work is therefore valuable for the study of the ancient Near East, Ancient Greece, ancient Macedonia, the Hellenistic period, and the Parthian Empire. Its geographical and chronological scope reflects the universal-history approach adopted by Trogus and transmitted, in abbreviated form, by Justin.[5]
Justin's contribution and historical reliability
A major question in the study of Justin concerns the relationship between his own writing and the material inherited from Trogus. Because the original Historiae Philippicae is lost, scholars cannot always establish whether a particular statement, emphasis, omission, or passage reflects Trogus's original account or Justin's editorial decisions.
Modern scholarship has cautioned against treating the Epitome as a purely mechanical abbreviation. Justin sometimes appears to reshape narratives, add commentary, or select material in ways that reflect his own interests and rhetorical purposes. The extent of these contributions remains a subject of scholarly investigation.[6]
The work nevertheless remains a significant historical source. Its value is particularly pronounced where other surviving accounts are incomplete or differ in their coverage of non-Roman peoples. As with other ancient histories, individual narratives must be assessed in the context of the author's methods, the traditions available to him, and evidence from other ancient writers.
Transmission and legacy
Justin's work circulated widely during the Middle Ages and remained an influential source for the study of ancient history. Its preservation helped transmit material from Trogus that would otherwise have been lost.
An early printed edition appeared in Rome in 1470, and the text continued to be published and studied in later centuries.[7]
Modern editions and translations continue to make Justin's work available to historians studying the ancient Mediterranean, the kingdoms of the Hellenistic period, and the development of Latin historical writing.
See also
- Pompeius Trogus
- Alexander the Great
- Hellenistic period
- Macedonia (ancient kingdom)
- Parthian Empire
- Roman historiography
- Justin Martyr
References
- ↑ Nadejda V. Popov-Reynolds, "Justin, Roman historian," The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J. C. Yardley, Justin and Pompeius Trogus: A Study of the Language of Justin's Epitome of Trogus (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003).
- ↑ "Justin," Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition, 1911.
- ↑ Justin, Epitome of Pompeius Trogus, Preface, in the English translation of the preface and Books I–X.
- ↑ "Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' Histories," Attalus.
- ↑ Brett Bartlett, "Justin's Epitome: The Unlikely Adaptation of Trogus' World History," Histos 8 (2014): 246–283.
- ↑ Historiae Philippicae, 1470, Special Collections and Archives, University of Missouri Libraries.