Ammianus Marcellinus

4th-century Roman historian and soldier

Born: November 30, 329 · Died: November 30, 394

War & ConflictPolitics & Government

Ammianus Marcellinus — Image via Wikimedia Commons or Wikipedia.

Overview

Written work

391 – 400), was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius).

Legacy

Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian (Ἀμμιανὸς Μαρκελλῖνος; c.

Who was Ammianus Marcellinus?

Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian 391 – 400), was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). Written in Latin and known as the Res gestae, his work chronicled the history of Rome from the accession of Emperor Nerva in 96 to the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378.

Title page to the 1533 editio princeps of books XXVII–XXXI of Res gestae, the first complete edition of the surviving books

Historical significance

Only the sections covering the period 353 to 378 survive. Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian, was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity. 391 – 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian, was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity.

Related on thisDay

Roman Army Encircled by Quadi — June 11, 173

Roman Army encircled by Quadi in Moravia in 173, during a series of conflicts that lasted until 180 AD, in the Roman Empire's territory

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: Roman Army Encircled by Quadi — June 11, 173 Wikipedia source

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MLA

“Ammianus Marcellinus.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/ammianus-marcellinus/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

APA

Ammianus Marcellinus. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/ammianus-marcellinus/

Chicago

“Ammianus Marcellinus.” thisDay. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/ammianus-marcellinus/.

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