The New History

Zosimus; also known by the Latin name Zosimus Historicus, i.e. "Zosimus the Historian;" was a Greek historian who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Anastasius I (491-518). According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury. Zozimos was also known for condemning Constantines rejection of the pagan gods in his time. Zosimus' Historia Nova, or The New History is written in Greek in six books. For the period from 238 to 270, he apparently uses Dexippus; for the period from 270 to 404, Eunapius; and after 407, Olympiodorus. His dependence upon his sources is made clear by the change in tone and style between the Eunapian and Olympiodoran sections, and by the gap left in between them. In the Eunapian section, for example, he is pessimistic and critical of Stilicho; in the Olympiodoran section, he offers precise figures and transliterations from the Latin, and favors Stilicho. Odin's Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind's literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.