Festus (died 3 January 380) was aLate Roman historian.[1] His name appears in some manuscripts asRufius Festus,Rufus Festus,Sextus Rufus orSextus Festus, but they appear to be corruptions.[2] He is mainly known as the author of anepitome titledBreviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani ("Summary of the accomplishments of the Romans"), written around AD 370 and commissioned by the Eastern emperorValens in preparation forhis war against Persia. TheBreviarium covers the entire history of the Roman state from thefoundation of the city. The book consists of 30 chapters treating Roman events in a terse overview, mainly focused on military and political conflicts. It is estimated to be a work of very low quality.[1]
He is often identified withFestus of Tridentum,magister memoriae (secretary) to Valens and notoriously severeproconsul ofAsia, where he was sent to punish those implicated in the conspiracy of Theodorus.[1][2] The work itself is divided into two parts, one geographical and other historical. Festus appears to have used the following sources:[3]
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