Ammianus, traditions of satire and the eternity of Rome

The fourth-century historian Ammianus Marcellinus famously attacks the inhabitants of Rome in two satirical "digressions," which have often been read, as autobiographical statements of Ammianus anger against his fellow inhabitants of Rome. This article argues, however, that Ammianus consciously adopts a light-hearted satirical persona, whose indignatio owes more to the traditions of Roman satire than personal experience. Furthermore, the insertion of these satirical passages is a radical response to the contemporary reawakening of interest in satire, particularly by Christian authors, in Late Antiquity and a statement of the Res Gestae s place in a longer literary tradition.