Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Rohrbacher, David

Area of Concentration

Classics

Abstract

Ammianus Marcellinus prized Julian as his hero in his histories. This paper explores this fact through intratextual analysis. It explores the depiction of the emperors and usurpers Constantius II, Gallus, Valentinian I, Valens, Procopius, Silvanus, and Barbatio through the lens of Julian as the central point of comparison. The paper explores Julian’s own depiction in Ammianus, including his domestic policy, his foreign policy, and the rebellion that elevated him to being emperor. The paper explores domestic and foreign policy for Constantius, Valentinian, Valens, and draws parallels between these elements in their reigns and that of Julian as depicted in Ammianus’ histories. The paper explores narrative elements in the rebellions of Gallus, Silvanus, Procopius, and Barbatio, and draws parallels between these elements in their revolts and that of Julian as depicted in Ammianus’ histories. The paper concludes that these elements make Julian the centerpiece of the whole extant work.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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