Sallust, Bellum Jugurthinum [The Jugurthine War]

Victor Parker (University of Canterbury)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 45 - c. 46

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Historical representation

Resources

Background and historical information

C. Sallustius Crispus, as a reward for his service to Julius Caesar in the civil wars in the early 40s B.C., was governor of the new province of Africa Nova in 45 B.C. (see “Sallust”). This province corresponded more or less to the old kingdom of Numidia. Sallust thus gained personal experience of the territory in which the Jugurthine War had taken place six decades earlier. He allegedly even perused books in the library of the Numidian kings (17,7).

In retirement after 44 B.C. Sallust wrote the Jugurthine War before turning to his most ambitious work, the Historiae (see “Sallust”, C.2.c). Because both works are thematically connected, he probably had the latter …

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2018 words

Citation: Parker, Victor. "Bellum Jugurthinum". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 September 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35059, accessed 28 April 2024.]

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