Literary Texts and the Roman Historian

Literary Texts and the Roman Historian focuses on the problems and methods involved in reconstructing the history of the ancient world. David Potter examines the different kinds of text from which Roman history is reconstructed by modern students, and he explores how ancient participants in the literary culture of the Roman empire constructed their own history. In contrast, he also discusses alternative forms of historical narrative, suggesting that those texts were produced to provide alternative paradigms to those offered in the traditional historical narratives. Literary Texts and the Roman Historian provides an accessible and concise introduction to the complexities of Roman historiography which will be invaluable to students of all periods of history.