Festus (died 3 January 380) was a Late Roman historian. His name appears in some manuscripts as Rufius Festus, Rufus Festus, Sextus Rufus or Sextus Festus, but they appear to be corruptions. He is mainly known as the author of an

epitome An epitome (; , from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "to the degree of." A ...

titled ''Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani'' ("Summary of the accomplishments of the Romans"), written around AD 370 and commissioned by the Eastern emperor

Valens Valens (; ; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the Byzantine Empire, eastern half of the Roman Em ...

in preparation for his war against Persia. The ''Breviarium'' covers the entire history of the Roman state from the foundation of the city. The book consists of 30 chapters treating Roman events in a terse overview, mainly focused on military and political conflicts. It is estimated to be a work of very low quality. He is often identified with Festus of Tridentum, ''magister memoriae'' (secretary) to Valens and notoriously severe

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, where he was sent to punish those implicated in the conspiracy of Theodorus. The work itself is divided into two parts, one geographical and other historical. Festus appears to have used the following sources:Eadie, J. W., ed. (1967). "The Sources of the ''Breviarium''",
The Breviarium of Festus
'. London: Athlone Press; pp. 70-98. *The ''Breviarium historiae Romanae'' of Eutropius, newly compiled by order of the same emperor *The '' Epitome rerum Romanarum'' (until the reign of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

) by Florus *The epitome of Livy, a lost work based on ''

Ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita'' (; 'from the founding of Rome, founding of the City'), or (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is ...

'' * A history of the Roman emperors, perhaps the Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte

References

Sources

* Ammianus Marcellinus, ''Res Gestae'' 29.2.22. * Eunapius, ''Vitae sophistarum'' 7.6.6-13. * ''

Suda The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; ; ) is a large 10th-century Byzantine Empire, Byzantine encyclopedia of the History of the Mediterranean region, ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas () or Souidas (). It is an ...

'' s.v. . * Zosimus, ''Historia Nova'' 4.15.2-3.

External links

Sextus Rufus
in the '' Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' * * Roman governors of Asia Ancient Roman proconsuls 4th-century writers in Latin Latin historians 4th-century historians {{AncientRome-bio-stub