[darkagebritain] Re: Aetius' fourth consulship
- From: "hotmail \(vortigernstudies\)" <vortigernstudies@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <darkagebritain@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2009 21:19:36 +0200
Hi Kevin and Dane,
I notice that Halsall agrees entirely with Thompson.
http://books.google.com/books?id=S7ULzYGIj8oC&pg=PA520&lpg=PA520&dq=Aeti#PRA2-PA254,M1
Dane, I think that your translation of Hydatius suffers from the apparent
confusion about the two Aetii which must have confounded other authors in
the past. But, as Halsall reports, this confusion does not seem to reflect
the general opinion these days; the text refers to the reason which made
Attila turn back: heaven-sent disasters (hunger and disease) in Italy as
well as the army sent to their homeland. In this translation, the military
action as well as the disasters seem to have doubled.
Like I said before, the 'second Aetius' does not answer our predicament
whether Flavius Aetius held a fourth consulship or not, nor does it answer
the question whether Gildas referred to the actual number of Aetius'
consulships at the time of writing (or using 'thrice' as a poetical term of
praise). But I'm fairly convinced (with Thompson, Halsall et al) that
Hydatius' 'eastern Aetius' was another man than Flavius Aetius.
Kevin, the 'fasti Vindobonensis priores et posteriores' are the consular
lists as provided by a manuscript from Vienna. The text is (of course)
edited by Theodor Mommsen (of course only with a Latin explanation, the
dog). Fortunately, Mommsen is online:
http://bsbdmgh.bsb.lrz-muenchen.de/dmgh_new/index.html
Go to Scriptores [Geschichtsschreiber]
Select Auctores antiquissimi (Auct. ant.)
The text we want is in Chronica minora saec. IV. V. VI. VII. (I):
Consularia Italica.
Then leaf through (blättern) on to page 303, where you'll find the fourth
consulship of Aetius.
570 is the entry number, 454 the date, the texts speaks for itself. In the
second table there are some additions from Prosper's chronicle.
Now it should be mentioned that both these fasti as well as Victorinus add
the number IIII after the name, signifying a fourth consulship. This however
does not mean anything. We see the same with emperors before that, where
different men still get the number of the guy before them (Theodosio VIII is
the second Theodosius, but the 8th consulship for the both of them).
The edition of the Fasti is of course later, I don't know how late.
Best,
Robert
Vortigern Studies
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