The Historia Augusta is a biographical collection written by a single author under six pseudonyms that covers the lives of the Roman emperors from Hadrian (r. 117-138) to Carinus (r. 283-285). While it is our most detailed surviving source for this period, it has more value as an enigmatic work of literary fiction than as history.

The Historia Augusta is a biographical collection written by a single author under six pseudonyms that covers the lives of the Roman emperors from Hadrian (r. 117?8) to Carinus (r. 283?5). While it is our most detailed surviving source for this period, it has more value as an enigmatic work of literary fiction than as history.