Marcellinus Comes
Encyclopedia
Marcellinus Comes was a Latin chronicler of the Eastern Roman Empire. An Illyrian
by birth, he spent most of his life at the court of Constantinople
, which is the focus of his surviving work.
. It covers the period from 379 to 534, although an unknown writer added a continuation down to 566. Although his work is in Latin
, it primarily describes the affairs of the East; indeed the writer says that he has "followed only the Eastern Empire." Some information about Western Europe
, drawn from Orosius's Historia adversus paganos and Gennadius
' De viris illustribus, is introduced insofar as it relates to Constantinople. The chronicle is filled with details and anecdotes about the city and the court. Marcellinus was an Orthodox Christian
and has little good to say about heretics in his work.
Illyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
by birth, he spent most of his life at the court of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, which is the focus of his surviving work.
Works
Only one work of his survives, a chronicle (Annales), which was a continuation of Eusebius's Ecclesiastical HistoryChurch History (Eusebius)
The Church History of Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea was a 4th-century pioneer work giving a chronological account of the development of Early Christianity from the 1st century to the 4th century. It was written in Koine Greek, and survives also in Latin, Syriac and Armenian manuscripts...
. It covers the period from 379 to 534, although an unknown writer added a continuation down to 566. Although his work is in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, it primarily describes the affairs of the East; indeed the writer says that he has "followed only the Eastern Empire." Some information about Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, drawn from Orosius's Historia adversus paganos and Gennadius
Gennadius
Gennadius or Gennadios may refer to:*Gennadius I, Patriarch of Constantinople from 458-471 AD*Gennadius II, Patriarch of Constantinople from 1454-1464 AD*Gennadius of Massilia, 5th-century historian, best known for his work De Viris Illustribus...
' De viris illustribus, is introduced insofar as it relates to Constantinople. The chronicle is filled with details and anecdotes about the city and the court. Marcellinus was an Orthodox Christian
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and has little good to say about heretics in his work.
List of selected editions
- The Chronicle of Marcellinus : a translation and commentary : (with a reproduction of Mommsen's edition of the text) by Comes Marcellinus; Brian Croke; Theodor Mommsen. Sydney : Australian Association for Byzantine Studies, 1995.
Further reading
- Count Marcellinus and His Chronicle by Brian Croke. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001