A propos de Bleckmann, Die Reichskrise des dritten Jahrhunderts in der spätantike und byzantinische Geschichtsschreibung

Byzantine historians remain understudied, although they can offer valuable help to ancient historians ; B. Bleckmann's book is an important advance into underexplored territory. The value of its contributions to narrative history, the austerity of a work focussed on the analysis of sources. without any concessions to fashion, and the relevance of its argument to other recent works, demand a detailed review. Among all Byzantine history writers, the most important contribution to ancient history is that of Zonaras for the period beginning in 229 (when Dio Cassius ends). B. gives new life to an ancient theory, uncovering in this author three sources of secular history for this period: two are of lesser interest, because they are preserved elsewhere, but the third - called Leoquelle, because it was used most notably by Leo the Grammarian - is very valuable, presenting reliable information not found elsewhere. According to B., this 'Leoquelle' can be identified partly with Peter the Patrician, and partly with the Anonymus post Dionem. B.'s achievement is to identify and evaluate the contribution of the 'Leoquelle', especially for the history of the third century. The analysis is presented in four principal chapters on the Roman-Sassanian wars, the Germanic invasions, the reign of Gallienus and relations between emperor and Senate. A fifth chapter advances into the fourth century ; B examines the relationship between Zonaras and Ammianus. A very detailed analysis of a host of points of detail results in an astonishingly consistent result. Not only is the initial hypothesis confirmed, but B. also succeeds in discovering, behind Peter the Patrician (who used Dio until 229) a source which can be very exactly characterised ; it was a high level work, pagan in sympathy, which reflects the ideology of the roman senatorial aristocracy and the attitudes of the end of the fourth century, written in Latin, whose traces are also to be found in the Historia Augusta, Ammianus, and the Epitome de Caesaribus. B. proposes to identify this as the Annales of Nicomachus Flavianus. This review only disagrees with B. on some minor points - most substantially, in suggesting that for the years 238-70, the Historia Augusta used Dexippus directly, and not via Nicomachus Flavianus. It also puts forward a stemma, illustrating the relationships between the principal sources ; and it also lays to rest three ghost historians whom several scholars unfortunately attempted to resuscitate, and about whom B. expresses due scepticism, Cordus, Onesimus and Eusebius 'of Nantes'. [Auteur, trad. Ch. Roueché]