![]() And sometimes, it is the off the cuff remark that reveals some surprising facts. But it is only by reading these ancient texts that we find out how people thought, how they spoke, their habits and culture. One can find description of battles or other main events in any contemporary summary of history. ![]() ![]() Although these sections may appear, at a superficial glance, trivial from a historical perspective (like Ammianus' opinions of what causes earthquakes), to me these kind of passages have greater value than descriptions of battles. The only unfortunate part about this book is that the editor deemed necessary to omit a large number of sections from the original manuscript. Now Ammianus is not Tacitus or Livy in terms of writing style, but he had an advantage over many of these ancient historians namely, he lived and participated (i.e., was an eye witness) to most of the events he describes. This is a great book that begins about 20 years after the death of Constantine the Great in 337 AD and describes the tribulations of his children. ![]()
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