Granius Licinianus
Granius Licinianus was a well of living in the middle of the 2nd century AD Roman historian and antiquarian. From his historical work only a few fragments survive.
Life and work
Until the mid-19th century Granius Licinianus was known by only a few details of ancient authors. 1853 were in London fragments of his History of Rome ( exact title not be elicited ) discovered twelve palimpsest leaves of a manuscript of the British Museum (now British Library, Additional 17 212 ). This code originally contained a certificate from the 5th century copy of the historical work of Granius Licinianus that was overwritten in the 6th century with a Latin grammar treatise and in the 11th century with a Syrian translation of the homilies of John Chrysostom. The first editor suspected that Granius Licinianus sacred law by living in the 1st century BC, antiquarian and author of works Granius Flaccus was identical, but dating him most of today's researchers about the middle of the 2nd century AD The reasons for this include that a remark of Granius Licinianus might assume the completion of the temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens by the emperor Hadrian, also, that he considers Sallust rather for a speaker than a historian, an assessment that is consistent with that of the Frontonianer. Over the life of the Granius Licinianus nothing is known.
The annalistisch designed Roman history of Granius Licinianus included more than 36 books, of which fragments of books 26, 28, 33, 35 and 36 ( the period 163-78 BC appropriate) were obtained in the mentioned palimpsest. The story began with the founding of Rome, a well or even earlier with Italian origin myths. The end point of the work, which extended at least until the assassination of Julius Caesar, is not determined. As a result of 1855 by Georg Heinrich Pertz and his son Charles for the purpose of deciphering carried out chemical treatment of the parchment sheets whose publication has been made so illegible that for the original only the Pertzsche transcription can be used more. Important preserved fragments relate inter alia to Antiochus IV, the devastating battle for the Romans at Arausio against the Cimbri (105 BC), Gaius Marius ' return, civil war against the party of Sulla and siege of Rome (87 BC) and Sulla's stay in Greece.
That Granius Licinianus based on Livy, appears quite probable; Assumptions about other sources such as Sallust are extremely vague. The style is plain and dry and has archaic traces on. In the story a number of anecdotes, curiosities and antique details are interspersed. Speeches, geographical digressions, personal judgments, interpretations of political backgrounds and rhetorical coloring his account avoids the author completely.
The only safe testimony of another copy of the Granius Licinianus entitled Cenae suae provides the Virgilian commentator Servius; the allocation of additional quotes is questionable. The title suggests a work in the form of scholar -table discussions. It was and is a Collectaneen - book in the style of the Noctes of Aulus Gellius Atticae. It showed the recognizable also in the Roman history antiquarian interests of the author.