The Chronicle of Rome

The Chronicle of Rome (Zikhron divre Romi), the second part of Abraham ibn Dā’ūd’s Generations of the Ages (Dorot ‘olam), provides a brief history of Rome, from its legendary foundation by Remus (here, Remulus) to the reign of King Reccared I (r. 586–601). Few other medieval Jewish writers were interested in this period. This work then turns to the rise of Christianity and Islam, with particular emphasis on the spread of those two religions in Spain, ibn Dā’ūd’s homeland. Ibn Dā’ūd’s knowledge of the history of Spain is primarily derived from Isidore of Seville (ca. 560–636) and Orosius of Braga (active in the early fifth century CE). He explains that his goals were anti-Christian, but it has also been shown that this work is decidedly biased in favor of Iberia, just like the writings of Isidore and Orosius. These passages cover the establishment of Rome and the emergence of Christianity and Islam. Like ibn Dā’ūd’s other historical writings, this work attracted much attention in the early modern period.