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{{Short description|Ancient history book in Latin}}
{{italic title}}
{{for|the medieval monastic ''libri memoriales''|Confraternity book}}
The '''''Liber Memorialis''''' is an ancient book in [[Latin]] featuring an extremely concise summary—a kind of index—of [[Universal history (genre)|universal history]] from earliest times to the reign of [[Trajan]]. It was written by '''Lucius Ampelius''', who was possibly a tutor or schoolmaster.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

==Description==
The book is dedicated to a Macrinus, who may have been the [[Macrinus|emperor]] who reigned 217–218, but that name was not uncommon, and it seems more likely he was simply a young man with a thirst for universal knowledge, which the book was compiled to satisfy.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

The book's object and scope are indicated in its dedication:{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
{{Blockquote|Since you desire to know everything, I have written this 'book of notes,' that you may learn of what the universe and its elements consist, what the world contains, and what the human race has done.}}

The ''Liber Memorialis'' seems to have been intended as a [[textbook]] to be learned by heart. This little work, in fifty chapters, gives a sketch of [[cosmography]], [[geography]], [[mythology]] (Chapters I-X), and history (Chapters X to end). The historical portion, dealing mainly with the [[Roman Republic|republican]] period, is untrustworthy and the text in many places corrupt; the earlier chapters are more valuable, and contain some interesting information.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Chapter VIII (''Miracula Mundi'') contains the following, the only reference by an ancient writer to the famous sculptures of the [[Pergamon Altar]], which were discovered in 1871, excavated in 1878, and are now in [[Berlin]]:{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

{{blockquote|At Pergamum there is a great marble [[altar]], {{convert|40|ft|m}} high, with colossal sculptures, representing a battle of the [[giant (mythology)|giants]]}}

==Date==
Nothing is known of the date at which the work was written; the times of Trajan, [[Hadrian]], [[Antoninus Pius]], the beginning of the 3rd century have all been suggested.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} However, in Chapter V De Orbe Terrarum (The World), Ampelius refers to the "Tigris and Euphrates in Parthia," which suggests that Ampelius wrote before the [[Sassanians]] overthrew the Parthians in 224.

==Editions==
The first edition of the ''Liber Memorialis'' was published in 1638 by [[Claudius Salmasius]] (Saumaise) from the Dijon manuscript, now lost, together with the ''Epitome'' of [[Florus]]. An 1873 edition by Wölfflin was based on Salmasius's copy of the lost codex.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} The more recent editions are
* Erwin Assmann's [[Teubner]] edition of 1935
* Nicola Terzaghi's edition, published by Chiantore in Turin ca. 1947 (preface dated 1943)
* Marie-Pierre Arnaud-Lidet's 1993 edition for the [[Collection Budé]] (includes French translation)

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Glaser, ''Rheinisches Museum,'' ii. (1843)
*Wölfflin, ''De L. Ampelii Libro Memoriali'' (1854)
*Zink, ''Eos,'' ii (1866)
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Ampelius, Lucius|volume=1|page=878}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|1=Translation:Liber Memorialis|2=Liber Memorialis (English translation)}}
*[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ampelius/home.html ''Liber Memorialis''] (Wölfflin's Latin text) at [[LacusCurtius]]
* [http://www.hs-augsburg.de/~harsch/Chronologia/Lspost04/LuciusAmpelius/luc_intr.html ''Liber memoralis''] ([[Erwin Assmann]]'s BT-edition) at [[Bibliotheca Augustana]]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Works about history in Latin]]
[[Category:Universal history books]]

Liber Memorialis - Revision history

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