Classica et Christiana, 16/2, 2021 /519
Mémoire historique et mémoire chrétienne des victimes de l’Etat en Afrique sous le règne de l’empereur Valentinien : l’affaire de Lepcis Magna (365-373) vue par Ammien Marcellin et les persécutions contre les donatistes [Historical and Christian memories of the victims of the State in North Africa under the emperor Valentinian : the Lepcis Magna affair (365-373) as seen by Ammianus Marcellinus and the persecution of Donatists]
Bruno POTTIER
ABSTRACT
Historical and Christian memories of the victims of the State in North Africa under the emperor Valentinian : the Lepcis Magna affair (365-373) as seen by Ammianus Marcellinus and the persecution of Donatists. The Leptis Magna affair shows some problems of the administration of the Empire in the Fourth century, especially the difficulty for the emperors to handle the flow of petitions that they solicited by denouncing repeatedly the crimes of their own officials in their legislation. Ammianus Marcellinus, as most elites, seems to have accepted harsh punishements of officials even if he contradictorily denounced unacceptable limitations of roman libertas by Valentinian and his general Romanus. The epigraphic evidence in Lepcis Magna shows how the memory of the execution of several decuriones of this city was kept. The Donatists, especially Tychonius, and Ammianus denounced in parallel the count Romanus, who is accused by the former of persecution against them. These schismatics could benefit from the support of african elites by rejoigning them in a critical discourse against the abuses of power by local officials.
KEYWORDS
Ammianus Marcellinus, Leptis Magna, Nicomachus Flavianus, Donatism, Tychonius, count Romanus