Festus (historian)

Festus (fl. 4th century), also known as Rufus Festus, Ruffus Festus, Sextus Festus, Sextus Rufus, and Sextus, was a Late Roman historian and proconsul of Africa whose epitome Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani ("Summary of the history of Rome"^[1]) was commissioned by the emperor Valens in preparation for his war against Persia. It was completed about AD 379. The Breviarium covers the entire history of the Roman state from the foundation of the City until AD 369. The book consists of 30 small parts treating events in Roman history in terse overview, mainly focused on military and political conflicts. It is estimated as a work of very low quality.^[2]

References

1. One source was the Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte
2. Baldwin, B. (1991), "Festus", The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium 2, Oxford, p. 784

Sources

• Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 29.2.22.
• Eunapius, Vitae sophistarum 7.6.6-13.
• Suda s.v. Φῆστος.
• Zosimus, Historia Nova 4.15.2-3.

External links

• "Sextus Rufus" in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
• Banchich, Thomas M. (translator); Meka, Jennifer A. (translator) (2001), De Imperatoribus Romanis: Breviarum of the accomplishments of the Roman people translated, Canisius College Translated Texts, Number 2, Buffalo, New York: Canisius College
• Mecenate, Raphael (editor) (1819), Breviarium Rerum Gestarum Populi Romani, Latin Text