Eutropius

Who is Eutropius?

Flavius Eutropius was an Ancient Roman historian who flourished in the latter half of the 4th century. He held the office of secretary at Constantinople, accompanied the Emperor Julian on his expedition against the Persians, and was alive during the reign of Valens, to whom he dedicates his Breviarium historiae Romanae and where his history ends.

The Breviarium historiae Romanae is a complete compendium, in ten books, of Roman history from the foundation of the city to the accession of Valens. It was compiled with considerable care from the best accessible authorities, and is written generally with impartiality, and in a clear and simple style. Although the Latin in some instances differs from that of the purest models, the work was for a long time a favorite elementary school-book. Its independent value is small, but it sometimes fills a gap left by the more authoritative records. For the early parts of his work, Eutropius depended upon an epitome of Livy; for the later parts, he used the now lost Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte. The Breviarium was enlarged and continued down to the time of Justinian by Paulus Diaconus; the work of the latter was in turn enlarged by Landolfus Sagax, and taken down to the time of the emperor Leo the Armenian in the Historia Miscella.