12-12-2013, 11:37 PM
I want to re-read the bits in Ammianus concerning Julian but some little +_&*$& still has my text and I'm not walking to the library. Anyway I always wondered about Constantius and Gallus, he doesn't seem so reticent about sorting out family members and retainers normally does he? Diocle is right that if Constantius didn't punish them (since it was left to Julian to do so) that's a bit of a red flag: The Constantinian dynasty seemed to really go for the whole grandeur and majesty, right to rule, sort of thing so you'd think the death of an Imperial family member, a Caesar, would be pretty damn serious.
Constantius has always sort of troubled me. I find his principate to be on the whole admirable and competent but I doubt he was a nice person. Incidentally when I was last in Rome (September? August?) the Colosseum had a display on for Constantine which, I think, might have also spoke of some of his heirs. Not very in depth or anything but I was seriously amazed by how well everything was done and next year, Augustus' bimilennial, has its job cut out.
Anyway, sorry, as for the question I suspect its one of those quirks which made sense to them at the time but without extra information looks weird to us.
Constantius has always sort of troubled me. I find his principate to be on the whole admirable and competent but I doubt he was a nice person. Incidentally when I was last in Rome (September? August?) the Colosseum had a display on for Constantine which, I think, might have also spoke of some of his heirs. Not very in depth or anything but I was seriously amazed by how well everything was done and next year, Augustus' bimilennial, has its job cut out.
Anyway, sorry, as for the question I suspect its one of those quirks which made sense to them at the time but without extra information looks weird to us.
Jass
