SOURCE: Stahl, William Harris. “Introduction.” In Macrobius: “Commentary on the Dream of Scipio,” pp. 3-65. New York: Columbia University Press, 1952.

In the following excerpt, Stahl provides an overview of the Commentary on the Dream of Scipio, discussing its structure, assumptions, sources, influence, style, and some important editions.

The Author

In the oldest manuscripts of the Commentary the author is called Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius v[ir] c[larissimus] et in[lustris]. In other manuscripts of his works the order of the names varies, and sometimes Ambrosius or Theodosius is omitted; but since the beginning of the Middle Ages, with perhaps the single exception of Boethius' citation of him as Macrobius Theodosius, he has been referred to simply as Macrobius.

Hardly anything is known for a certainty about his life. He is the author of three works that have been wholly or partially preserved: the Commentary on Scipio's Dream has...