The Greek Historians of Imperial Rome

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the Greek historians of Rome from the second to the fifth centuries. It argues that Rome's Greek historians were not, by and large, seeking a mass audience. They were seeking to write for men of influence, and in so doing they tended to reflect the developing interests of the imperial governing class. They sought to enable their audience to better understand the nature of power, and the best modes of government. The movement in their subject matter from universal history to the imperial governing class's relationship to the emperors, to the history of particular groups within government, represents the development of Roman imperial government over the centuries.