Justin, Roman historian

Abstract

AbstractJustin (fl. sometime between the mid‐second and the late fourth centuryCE; exact date unknown) is known solely as the author of an extensive LatinEpitome(summary) of a lost Universal History,Historiae Philippicae (Philippic Histories), of the Augustan historian Pompeius Trogus. The primary significance of Justin's summary is that it is “the only universal history of any sort from before the Christian era to survive in its entirety” (Yardley and Develin 1994: 2). Because nothing is known about Justin outside his work, modern readers of his history have to deal with two challenges: the first is the problem of separating Justin's own views from thoseof Trogus within theEpitome, while the second is the uncertainty surrounding the date of Justin's text.