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La digressione ‘scientifica’ sulla pestilentia di Amida in Ammiano Marcellino (XIX 4, 2-7)
Iazzetta, Giuseppe
2025
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e-ISSN
2785-1346
Abstract
In Book XIX of Ammianus Marcellinus’ Res Gestae, largely devoted to the anti-Per¬sian military campaign conducted in 359 A.D., during the reign of Constantius II, the narrative reaches the apex of dramatic tension in Chapter 4: between the end of July and the beginning of August, during the respite from the Sasanian siege, the situation in the Roman stronghold of Amida became untenable due to pestilentia. The few lines devoted to the etiopathogenesis and the end of the epidemic define the brief ‘scientific’ excursus on Amida’s plague (XIX 4, 2-7), in which the historian, an eyewitness to the events, reports a tripartite aetiological doxography, as well as a typological classifica¬tion of the disease and its symptoms.
All’interno del libro XIX delle Res Gestae di Ammiano Marcellino, dedicato in gran parte alla campagna militare antipersiana condotta nel 359 d.C., durante il regno di Costanzo II, il racconto raggiunge l’apice della tensione dramma¬tica nel capitolo 4: tra la fine di luglio e gli inizi di agosto, durante la tregua dall’assedio sasanide, la situazione nella piazzaforte romana di Amida fu resa insostenibile da una pestilentia. Le poche righe dedicate all’eziopatogenesi e alla fine del contagio delimitano il breve excursus ‘scientifico’ di argomento medico sul morbo in questione (XIX 4, 2-7), in cui lo storico, testimone oculare degli eventi, riporta una dossografia eziologica tripartita, oltre ad una tassonomia epidemiologica con la relativa sintomatologia.
In Book XIX of Ammianus Marcellinus’ Res Gestae, largely devoted to the anti-Per¬sian military campaign conducted in 359 A.D., during the reign of Constantius II, the narrative reaches the apex of dramatic tension in Chapter 4: between the end of July and the beginning of August, during the respite from the Sasanian siege, the situation in the Roman stronghold of Amida became untenable due to pestilentia. The few lines devoted to the etiopathogenesis and the end of the epidemic define the brief ‘scientific’ excursus on Amida’s plague (XIX 4, 2-7), in which the historian, an eyewitness to the events, reports a tripartite aetiological doxography, as well as a typological classifica¬tion of the disease and its symptoms.
Journal
Publisher
EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste
Source
Giuseppe Iazzetta, "La digressione ‘scientifica’ sulla pestilentia di Amida in Ammiano Marcellino (XIX 4, 2-7)" in: "ERAT OLIM. Nuovi materiali e contributi per la storia della narrativa greco-latina 5 (2025)", EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste, Trieste, 2025, pp. 183-207
Languages
it
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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