Marcus Aurelius' rain miracle and the Marcomannic wars / by Péter Kovács.

• Superior document: Mnemosyne. Supplements, v. 308. History and archaeology of classical antiquity
• Author: Kovács, Péter, 1969-
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Mnemosyne, bibliotheca classica Batava. Supplementum ; 308.; Mnemosyne, bibliotheca classica Batava. Supplementum. History and archaeology of classical antiquity.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (320 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.
• Other title: Preliminary Materials /; Chapter One. The Rain Miracle /; Chapter Two. Research History Of The Rain Miracle /; Chapter Three. Sources For The Rain Miracle /; Chapter Four. The Rain Miracle In Medieval Latin And Byzantine Sources /; Chapter Five. Coins And The Rain Miracle /; Chapter Six. The Forged Letter Attributed To Marcus Aurelius /; Chapter Seven. Julian Theurgistes And The Rain Miracle /; Chapter Eight. The Lightning And Rain Miracles /; Chapter Nine. The Column Of Marcus Aurelius /; Chapter Ten. The Scenes On The Column Of Marcus Aurelius /; Chapter Eleven. Marcomannic-Quadian Assault On Italy /; Chapter Twelve. Pannonia And The Marcomannic Wars /; Chapter Thirteen. The Dating Of The Scenes On The Column Of Marcus Aurelius /; Bibliography /; Index Of Names /; Index Of Sources /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (p. [277]-288) and indexes.
• ISBN: 1282398350; 9786612398353; 9047443268
• ISSN: 0169-8958
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: by Péter Kovács.

The longest war of the Roman imperial period is the war Marcus Aurelius waged with the northern German and Sarmatian tribes. The best-known events of these wars were the lightning and rain miracles. Divine intervention saved the Roman troops who were surrounded by the Germans and suffering from a water shortage, by means of a lightning and rain miracle. Thunderbolts struck the enemy while the rain soothed the Romans’ suffering. Several pagan and Christian versions of the miracle existed already in Antiquity. Péter Kovács examines these events and their sources in detail. The most important source is the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. The scenes of the column depict the miracles as well and therefore it was studied separately. The author also sketches the history of the Marcomannic wars. He publishes all the sources of the miracles and examines the development of the legend from Antiquity to the 14th century.