Reconfiguring the Imperial Past: Narrative Patterns and Historical Interpretation in Herodian’s History of the Empire

Contents
Historiography of Rome and Its Empire Series
Acknowledgements
Texts, Translations, and Abbreviations
Introduction
	0.1	Herodian’s Historiographical Method
	0.2	Herodian and Ancient Historiography
	0.3	Studies on Herodian’s History
	0.4	Methodology and Structure of the Book
1Character Introductions
	1.1	Commodus
	1.2	Pertinax
	1.3	Didius Julianus
	1.4	Pescennius Niger
	1.5	Septimius Severus
	1.6	Clodius Albinus
	1.7	Geta and Caracalla
	1.8	Opellius Macrinus
	1.9	Elagabalus and Severus Alexander
	1.10	Maximinus Thrax and His Rivals
	1.11	Conclusion
2Accession Stories
	2.1	“On That Day I Was Both Man and Emperor” (1.5.5)
	2.2	“We Have Come Here to Offer You the Empire” (2.1.9)
	2.3	“They Announced That the Imperial Throne Was up for Sale” (2.6.4)
	2.4	Parallel Accessions: Niger and Septimius Severus
		2.4.1 “It Is the Romans Who Are Summoning Me” (2.8.2)
		2.4.2 “Let Us Be the First to Take Rome” (2.10.9)
	2.5	“His Sons Succeeded Him to the Rule” (3.15.8)
	2.6	“What Is the Good of Noble Birth?” (5.1.5)
	2.7	Continuity and Variation
		2.7.1 Elagabalus and Severus Alexander
		2.7.2 Maximinus
		2.7.3 Gordian I
		2.7.4 The Last Accessions
	2.8	Conclusion
3Warfare and Battle Narratives
	3.1	Establishing Paradigms
		3.1.1 Marcus’ Military Ideal
		3.1.2 Commodus
		3.1.3 Pertinax’s Counterexample
	3.2	“But This One Man Destroyed Three Reigning Emperors” (3.7.8)
		3.2.1 Severus against Julianus
		3.2.2 Severus against Niger
		3.2.3 Severus against Albinus
	3.3	Severus’ Eastern Campaign (AD 198)
	3.4	Severus’ British Expedition
	3.5	Caracalla’s Portrait Refined?
	3.6	Macrinus’ ‘Fighting’
	3.7	Severus Alexander
		3.7.1 The Persian War
		3.7.2 The German Crisis
	3.8	Maximinus’ Military Exploits
		3.8.1 The German Expedition
		3.8.2 Maximinus vs. Gordian I
		3.8.3 The Siege of Aquileia
	3.9	Conclusion
4Trans-Regnal Themes
	4.1	The Emperor’s Surroundings: Parents, Advisers, and Retinue
	4.2	The Topos of Goodwill (εὔνοια)
	4.3	Appearance, Staging, and Performance
5The Emperor’s Finale
	5.1	Marcus’ Exemplary Death
	5.2	Commodus: The Murder of a Tyrant
	5.3	Virtue and Military Anarchy: Pertinax’s Death
	5.4	The Downfall of Cowardly and Negligent Emperors: Julianus, Niger, and Albinus
	5.5	The End of Severus and His Sons
		5.5.1 Septimius Severus
		5.5.2 Geta and Caracalla
	5.6	A Pattern Verified and Enlarged: Macrinus’ Idleness and Luxury
	5.7	Elagabalus’ Fatal Excessiveness
	5.8	The Fall of Severus Alexander: Character and Surrounding
	5.9	The End of Maximinus Thrax and Gordian I
	5.10	Military Disorder and Mutual Rivalry: The Deaths of Maximus and Balbinus
	5.11	Conclusion
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index Locorum
Index Nominum et Rerum