This study investigates the authorship and historical context of the Historia Augusta by analyzing its stylistic and thematic connections to the writings of Ammianus Marcellinus. Ronald Syme, a preeminent scholar of Roman history, utilizes rigorous textual analysis to challenge previous assumptions about the collection of imperial biographies. He argues that the work is not a compilation by multiple authors, but rather the product of a single individual writing during the late fourth or early fifth century. By tracing specific linguistic and historical parallels, Syme constructs a framework that situates the text within a distinct period of Roman intellectual life.

Scholars recognize this work as a significant contribution to the ongoing debate surrounding the authenticity and origin of the Historia Augusta. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the meticulous nature of Syme's historical argumentation.