September 15 -- Approaching Ammianus<br>
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1.  Texts to linger over, esp. remote, difficult texts<br>
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2.  Transmission:  <br>
**how we get a book like this <br>
***manuscript, print, modern editions, translations<br>
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3.  Ammianus: <br>
**Greek, army officer, partisan, writing in Latin, traditional<br>
***in his attachment to historical genre<br>
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4.  What do you notice?<br>
**emperors:  who?  (see Constantius at Rome:  p. 99)<br>
**wars:  where?<br>
**digressions:  about what?<br>
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5.  So how do you read such a book:<br>
**learning to look "at" as well as "through"<br>
***go slow<br>
***what surprises?<br>
***what is difficult?<br>
***what is boring?<br>
**use the tools provided<br>
**don't compare to a murder mystery:  <br>
***learning to read this kind of book is like going to boot camp<br>