Aurelius Victor and the quinquennium Neronis

Abstract

In a passage of his Historiae abbreuiatae (5.1-4), Aurelius Victor reports the existence of a five-year period of time in which the reign of Nero – an emperor traditionally described as a tyrant among the historians of ancient Rome – would have been commendable. Although issues concerning “Nero’s quinquennium” have stimulated a great debate among modern-day scholars, the role played by that “quinquennium” in Aurelius Victor’s historical narrative has not yet been fully considered. Therefore, this study aims at investigating, on the one hand, how Aurelius Victor dealt with “Nero’s quinquennium” in order to promote an assessment of the power of the Roman emperors and, on the other hand, it also wants to point out how the idea of a “Neronian quinquennium” enables us to shed light on the elements that guided Aurelius Victor in his task as a historian.

Key words: Aurelius Victor, Epitome de Caesaribus, Roman historiography, quinquennium Neronis.