Eutropius

Eutropius, active 4th centuryProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 551K words
Chapters: 56

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Eutropius by active 4th century EutropiusAuthor: Eutropius, active 4th century,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Dec 31, 2015

Editor's review

Eutropius's Latin breviarium is a concise history of Rome from its founding to the late empire by the fourth-century historian Eutropius. Its value lies in its brevity: restrained in length and clear in outline, it long served as an introductory history for Latin learners and as a convenient primer on the basic framework of Roman history. For Chinese readers, it is better suited as an introduction to classical language and classical sources than as a work of in-depth research; it offers a skeletal narrative, and details and critical analysis must be sought elsewhere. Read it as a map of Roman history: first establish the timeline and the relationships among figures, then expand to other historians' works. Since the original is in Latin, English editions usually include an introduction or notes; readers are advised to use the introduction to understand the work's background and the limitations of its sources.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Classical language learners studying Latin who need a concise history as a reader
Beginning readers seeking to quickly establish a timeline framework of Roman history
Readers interested in the history of classical historiography and late Roman history
Teachers who need brief English materials on Roman history as teaching aids

Not a good fit for

Researchers seeking in-depth scholarly analysis or source criticism
General readers hoping to read a modern Chinese general history of Rome
Readers with no classical language background who are unwilling to use translations and notes

Reading tips

First read the English introduction and notes to understand the author's identity, the work's background, and its sources.
Read alongside a Roman history timeline, organizing the succession of emperors and major events as you go.
Latin learners can select short chapters for close reading and translation, using grammatical notes to digest them.
After finishing, supplement the details with other works on Roman history to test the framework value of this brief history.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book the original Latin text or an English translation?

Eutropius's original is in Latin, and Project Gutenberg versions usually present the Latin text or include an English introduction and notes. Check the title page and description of the downloaded file to confirm; verify the language of the main text before reading.

Is it suitable as the first book for an introduction to Roman history?

It can serve as a framework introduction, but should not be the only reading. Its narrative is brief and lacks modern scholarly discussion and background explanation; pair it with a modern general history of Rome, establishing the framework first and then filling in details.

Why is this book often used in Latin teaching?

Because its style is concise, its sentence structures are relatively regular, its historical outline is clear, and its length is moderate, it has long been regarded as a common text for Latin reading practice. Learners can use it to become familiar with both classical historical narrative and Latin expression.

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About the author

Eutropius, active 4th century Author · Roman

Eutropius was a Roman historian active in the fourth century. His nationality was ancient Rome, while details of his life, including his birth and death years, remain unknown. His surviving work is a concise history of Rome, commonly known in Chinese as An Outline of Roman History. Written in Latin, it traces Rome's history from its founding to the fourth century in a brief, clear style, covering a long span of time in a compact form. It was long used as a Latin reader and an introductory historical text. Because public information about him is limited, little is known about his official career, family background, or the circumstances that prompted him to write, and scholarship has focused mainly on the content and sources of the work and its later circulation and influence. One work by him is currently included in the collection.