Flavius Eutropius (fl. 363–387) was aRoman official andhistorian. His bookBreviarium Historiae Romanae summarizes events from the founding of Rome in the 8th century BC down to the author's lifetime. Appreciated by later generations for its clear presentation and writing style,[1] theBreviarium can be used as a supplement to more comprehensive Roman historical texts that have survived in fragmentary condition.
The exact background and birthplace of Eutropius is disputed. Some scholars claim he was born in Burdigala (Bordeaux) and was a man of medicine.[1] Others, most notably Harold W. Bird, have dismissed these claims as being highly unlikely. Eutropius has been referred to as 'Italian' in other sources and supposedly held estates inAsia. Aside from that, his name was Greek, making it unlikely he came fromGaul. Confusion about this has arisen because Eutropius was a popular name inlate antiquity.[2] Some believed him to have had Christian sympathies because in some manuscripts of his work he refers to EmperorJulian as an "excessive" persecutor of Christians, but this seems very unlikely.[3] He was almost certainly apagan and remained one under the emperorJulian's Christian successors.[1]
He served as the imperial secretary (Latin:magister memoriae) inConstantinople.[4] He accompaniedJulian the Apostate (r. 361–363) onhis expedition against the Sassanids in 363.[1][5] He survived at least as late as the reign of the emperorValens (364–378), to whom he dedicated hisSummary of Roman History.[4] Eutropius may have been the same Eutropius that wasproconsul, orGovernor ofAsia from 371 to 372.[5] He may have also been the Praetorian Prefect of the Illyrian Provinces from 380 to 381,[5] as well as possibly being aconsul in 387.[5]
Eutropius'sSummary of Roman History (Latin:Breviarium Historiae Romanae) orSummary from the Founding of Rome (Breviarium ab Urbe Condita) is a ten-chapter compendium ofRoman history fromits foundation to the short reign ofJovian.[5] It was compiled with considerable care from the best accessible authorities. It was written in a clear and simple style, and it treats its subjects with general impartiality.[4][1] The message of the book is simple, that Romans always overcome their problems. This theme became especially important after the Battle of Adrianople.[5]
Eutropius stressed the importance of the Senate in his work.[5] This is probably secret advice to Valens.[5] For theRepublican period, Eutropius depended uponan epitome ofLivy. For theEmpire, he appears to have usedSuetonius and the now lostEnmannsche Kaisergeschichte, Enmann'sHistory of the Emperors. At the end, he probably made use of his own personal experiences.[6] The fact that the work ends with the reign ofJovian implies that it was written during the reign of eitherValentinian I orValens.[5] If that was true, than the work would have been written between 364 and 378.[5]
The independent value of hisSummary is small, but it sometimes fills a gap left by the more authoritative records. It is particularly useful to historians for its account of theFirst Punic War, as no copy of Livy's original books for that period has survived.
Its stylistic and methodological virtues caused it to be much used by later Roman chroniclers.[1] In particular, it received expanded editions byPaul the Deacon andLandolf Sagax,[7] which repeated the original text and then continued it into the reigns ofJustinian the Great andLeo the Armenian respectively.[4] It was translated intoGreek byPaeanius around 380[1] and by Capito Lycius in the 6th century. The latter translation has survived almost in its entirety.
Although Eutropius's style contains some idiosyncrasies, the work's plain style made it long a favorite elementary Latin schoolbook.[4] A scholarly edition was compiled by H. Droysen in 1879, containing Capito Lycius's Greek edition and the expanded Latin editions of Paul and Landolf.[4] There have been numerous English editions and translations, including Bird's.[8]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eutropius".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 958.
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| Preceded by | Consul of theRoman Empire 387 withValentinian II | Succeeded by |
