Florus

Florus was a Roman historian in the time of Emperor Trajan ( 98-117 ) and Hadrian ( 117-138 ). He is identified by some sources Publius Annius Florus with the poet.

He put 120 together a brief sketch of the history of Rome in two volumes ( in other count four books) of the founding of the city to the Varus battle in AD 9, where he primarily on Livy, Sallust, Lucan, Seneca Elder and Tacitus supports. The work, which Epitoma de Tito Livio bellorum omnium annorum DCC libri duo, is written in a bombastic and rhetorical style and more a panegyric on the greatness of Rome, whose life is divided into four sections childhood, youth, adult and old age. It often does geographical and chronological errors, but was still much used in the Middle Ages.

In the manuscript, the author is given different names: Julius Florus, Lucius Annaeus Florus or simply Annaeus Florus. Due to the style he was comparing Publius Annius Florus equated with, a poet, orator and friend of Hadrian, author of a dialogue on the question of whether Virgil speaker or writer was, from the initiation has been preserved.

Editions and translations

• Enrica Malcovati (ed.): L. Annaei Flori quae exstant. Rome 1938.
• Florus: Roman history. Translated, introduced and annotated by Günter laser. Darmstadt 2005, ISBN 3-534-18122-0.