Priscus was from Panium (in Thrace) living in the Roman Empire during the 5th century. He was a diplomat, sophist and historian. He accompanied Maximinus, the ambassador of Theodosius II, to the court of Attila in 448. During the reign of Marcian (450–457), he also took part in missions to Arabia and Egypt.
Priscus was the author of a historical work in eight books (the History), probably from the accession of Attila to that of Zeno (433–474). Only fragments of the work remain, largely preserved in Byzantine excerpts, and the description of Attila and his court and the account of the reception of the Roman ambassadors is a valuable piece of contemporary history. His writings are unusually impartial and objective. The history of Priscus was used by Jordanes, Procopius of Caesarea and other historians.
Remaining works
Three collections of his remaining works are:
- Ludwig Dindorf: Historici Graeci Minores (Leipzig, Teubner, 1870) (in Greek).
- Colin D. Gordon: The Age of Attila: Fifth-century Byzantium and the Barbarians (Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1960) (in English with commentary and annotation).
- Roger C. Blockley: The Fragmentary Classicising Historians of the Later Roman Empire, vol. II (ISBN 0-905205-15-4) (includes fragments from other historians, including Olympiodorus of Thebes).
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
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