Classical Histories

[arapahoepark]

Is there any list of must read classical histories by historians of the time period?

 

[jambo]

Josephus not just for his Jewish history but as an eye witness to the fall of Jerusalem.

Eusebius and his early church history.

 

[toddpedlar]

Josephus and Eusebius are good - but you should also consult Livy, Suetonius, Herodotus and Thucydides (and Xenophon and Arrian, too) for a broad sweep of the Greek and Roman periods

 

[RamistThomist]

Livy is fun. Herodotus has his moments with the occasional side story.

And for beautiful but biased prose, one simply cannot improve upon Gibbon (yeah, yeah, I know. bad guy).

Ditto to Josephus. Also check out CK Barrett's New Testament Background: Documents

It wouldn't hurt to brush up on some Philo. Mind you, horrible, horrible theology but Alexandria, Egypt was the intellectual center of the ancient world.

 

[Hamalas]

Don't forget Plutarch!

 

[Alan D. Strange]

Most of the more prominent have been named, though I would add Polybius, Sallust, Strabo, and Tacitus.

Peace,
Alan