An Age of Iron and Rust: Cassius Dio and the History of His Time

Andrew G. Scott (Ph.D., Rutgers University) is Associate Professor of Classical Studies at Villanova University (Villanova, PA, USA). He is the author of Emperors and Usurpers: an historical commentary on Cassius Dio’s Roman history, books 79(78)-80(80) (OUP 2018), as well as numerous articles and chapters on Greek and Roman historiography.

Historiography of Rome and Its Empire Series


 Carsten H. Lange and Jesper M. Madsen





Acknowledgments





Introduction: Cassius Dio in the Age of Iron and Rust


 1 Survey of Scholarship on Cassius Dio’s Roman History


 2 The Remains of the Contemporary Books


 3 Approaching the Contemporary History


 4 Plan of This Study





1 Cassius Dio’s Literary Career


 1 The Work on Dreams and Portents


 2 The Work on Wars and Civil Wars


 3 Cassius Dio’s Roman History


 4 Conclusion





2 Cassius Dio and the Historiographic Tradition


 1 Writing Roman History ab urbe condita


 2 Writing under Autocracy


 3 Greek Constitutional Analysis


 4 Cassius Dio’s Roman History


 5 Conclusion





3 Cassius Dio and the Roman Monarchy


 1 Monarchy v. Democracy


 2 Young Caesar’s Choice: Between Monarchy and Tyranny


 3 The Roman Monarchy: Decline and Renewal


 4 Good v. Bad Emperors


 5 Conclusion





4 Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Historical Method in Cassius Dio’s Contemporary History


 1 Cassius Dio on Marcus Aurelius


 2 Marcus Aurelius and Commodus: A Study in Contrasts


 3 From Marcus to Commodus: The Role of the Historian


 4 Conclusion





5 The Depiction of Septimius Severus: Content and Structure


 1 Septimius Severus in Rome


 2 Septimius Severus’ Civil Wars and Eastern Campaigns


 3 Septimius Severus’ decennalia and the Role of Plautianus


 4 Coda: Septimius Severus in Britain


 5 Conclusion





6 Mixed Depictions: Pertinax, Septimius Severus, and Macrinus


 1 Cassius Dio’s Obituary for Septimius Severus


 2 The Obituaries of Septimius Severus and Marcus Aurelius


 3 Other Mixed Depictions in the Contemporary Books


 4 The Mixed Depiction of Pertinax


 5 The Mixed Depiction of Macrinus


 6 Conclusion: Reading Dio’s Mixed Depictions





7 Caracalla and the Limits of Dynastic Succession


 1 Approaching Caracalla


 2 Caracalla and Geta: A Broken Dynasty Exposed


 3 Caracalla: An Emperor Isolated and Alone


 4 Caracalla on Campaign


 5 Caracalla and the Senate


 6 Caracalla’s End


 7 The Content of Cassius Dio’s Account


 8 Conclusion





8 The Re-creation of the Severan Dynasty: From Macrinus to Severus Alexander


 1 Macrinus, Equestrian Emperor


 2 From Caracalla to Elagabalus: The Role of Julia Domna


 3 Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Elagabalus): Making Mockery?


 4 And in the End: Severus Alexander


 5 Conclusion





Conclusion: Out of the Dust and Slaughter


 1 The Importance of Writing Contemporary History


 2 Cassius Dio and the History of His Own Time


 3 Senatorial History in a Period of Decline


Bibliography


Index