Annalists (from Latin annus, year; hence annales, sc. libri, annual records), were a class of writers on Roman history, the period of whose literary activity lasted from the time of the Second Punic War to that of Sulla. They wrote the history of Rome from the earliest times (in most cases) down to their own days, the events of which were treated in much greater detail.[1] Annalists were different from historians, in that an annalist was more likely to just record events for reference purposes, rather than offering their own opinions of events. There is, however, some overlap between the two categories[2] and sometimes annalist is used to refer to both styles of writing from the Roman era.
- ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Freese, John Henry (1911). "Annalists". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 60. This cites:
- C. W. Nitzsch, Die römische Annalistik (1873)
- H. Peter, Zur Kritik der Quellen der alteren romischen Geschichte (1879)
- L. O. Brocker, Moderne Quellenforscher und antike Geschichtschreiber (1882)
- Fragments in H. Peter, Historicorum Romanorum Reliquiae (1870, 1906), and Historicorum Romanorum Fragmenta (1883);
- Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyclopädie, art. "Annales"
- The histories of Roman Literature by Martin Schanz and Teuffel-Schwabe
- Mommsen, Hist. of Rome (Eng. tr.), bk. ii. ch. 9, bk. iii. ch. 14, bk. iv. ch. 13, bk. v. ch. 12
- C. Wachsmuth, Einleitung in das Studium der alien Geschichte (1895)
- H. Peter, bibliography of the subject in Bursian's Jahresbericht, cxxvi. (1906)
- ^ Smalley 1974, p. 15.
