Ammianus Marcellinus, History 14.8.11-14.8.12
created: This entry is taken from History 14.8.11-14.8.12 written by Ammianus Marcellinus
edition published: 2023-06-30-05:00
language: la; la
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https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/50

Caesaream

, and

Caesarea

are directly attested at Ammianus Marcellinus, History 14.8.11-14.8.12. This passage was written ca. 380-390 C.E. possibly in Rome. Ammianus Marcellinus grew up in the Greek East, probably Syria or Phoenicia, during the second quarter of the 4th century, and as an adult served in the military under Constantius II and Julian. He wrote a record of events or “achievements” (res gestae) of the Roman state, though only the chapters covering the years 353-378 C.E. survive. In his survey of the eastern provinces (14.8), Ammianus here describes the topography and environment of Roman Palestine, including its chief city Caesarea Maritima.

(11) Ultima Syriarum est Palaestina, per intervalla magna protenta, cultis abundans terris et nitidis, et civitates habens quasdam egregias, nullam nulli cedentem, sed sibi vicissim velut ad perpendiculum aemulas: Caesaream, quam ad honorem Octaviani principis exaedificavit Herodes, et Eleutheropolim et Neapolim, itidemque Ascalonem Gazam, aevo superiore exstructas. (12) In his tractibus navigerum nusquam visitur flumen, et in locis plurimis aquae suapte natura calentes emergunt, ad usus aptae multiplicem medellarum. Verum has quoque regiones pari sorte Pompeius Iudeis domitis et Hierosolymis captis, in provinciae speciem delata iuris dictione formavit.

[Ed. Seyfarth 1978]

(11) The last region of the Syrias is Palestine, extending over a great extent of territory and abounding in cultivated and well-kept lands; it also has some splendid cities, none of which yields to any of the others, but they rival one another, as it were, by the plumb-line. These are Caesarea, which Herod built in honor of the emperor Octavian, Eleutheropolis, and Neapolis, along with Ascalon and Gaza, built in a former age. (12) In these districts no navigable river is anywhere to be seen, but in numerous places natural warm springs gush forth, adapted to many medicinal uses. But these regions also met with a similar fate, being formed into a province by Pompey after he had defeated the Jews and taken Jerusalem [in 63 B.C.E.], but left to the jurisdiction of a goverrnor.

[Trans. Rolfe 1930]

Works Cited

[...] 14 8.11-12
[...] 1 70-71

[on Pompey conquering Jerusalem and setting up Judaea]

[Ascalon

Eleutheropolis

Gaza

Jerusalem

Neapolis

Palestine

Syria]

[Augustus, emperor

Gn. Pompeius Magnus

Herod I, king]

[Geography

Government and Law

Herodian Dynasty

Military

Natural Environment

Roman History]