Die Skythika Dexipps von Athen : Gedanken zur Abfassung

Abstrakt

The historian Dexippus of Athens covered the events of his time in two separate works: a chronicle from mythical times to A.D. 269 and the so-called Scythica, which focused on the invasions in the Black Sea region by East Germanic tribes in the third century A.D. down to about 271. This paper discusses the relationship between the two works, both preserved only in fragments. New text from the Scythica, the socalled Scythica Vindobonensia, makes it likely that Dexippus repeated sections from the chronicle practically verbatim. This discovery sheds light on the nature of the Scythica, which appears to be a combination of terse, informative passages from the chronicle and elaborate historiographical set pieces, such as speeches and strategems in the tradition of Thucydides. When Dexippus reaches the reign of Aurelian, no longer covered by the chronicle, the nature of the account seems to have changed to some extent. The fact that the author reused and replenished the same material in this way gives clues about his intentions when using the format of the historical monograph