What Does Ammianus Marcellinus Admire about the Huns - Assignment Example

What does Ammianus Marcellinus admire about the Huns? What does he dislike about them? Ammianus Marcellinus was a retired Roman soldier. He wrote a description of the Huns more than a decade after the events he describes took place in 376 AD. In his account, he presents the typical prejudices of the Roman people towards the Huns whom they considered to be lesser beings or barbarians. His description further gives detail of what he admired and disliked about the Huns (Marcellinus, p1). In his description, Marcellinus admired the fighting skills of the Huns.

He reports that in battle, he admired the way the Huns advanced in packs and uttered their various war cries. Furthermore, being that they were lightly equipped and moved very fast, they could also easily scatter and gallop about at random thus causing terrific slaughters. He also admired the way they carried themselves when faced with weighty matters. He says that, when any deliberation was to take place on any weighty issue, the Huns held their common council on horseback. He argues that although the Huns were not ruled by a king, they were satisfied with the irregular government of their nobles and under their leadership, they were able to overcome their problems.

Marcellinus also admired the Huns because they were hardy. They neither needed fire nor well-flavored food but lived on herbs and half-raw flesh of any animal. They also never sheltered themselves and wore clothes made of linen and skin of field-mice (Marcellinus, pp3-6). Marcellinus also disliked the Huns because they had no respect for any religion and often quarreled with their companions without any provocation. The Huns were also lawless and were ignorant of the difference between right and wrong (Marcellinus, pp7-9).