Festus , also known as Rufus Festus, Ruffus Festus, Sextus Festus, Sextus Rufus, and Sextus, was a Late Roman historian and proconsul of Africa whose epitome Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani ("Summary of the history of Rome" was commissioned by the emperor Valens in preparation for his war against Persia. It was completed about AD 379. The Breviarium covers the entire history of the Roman state from the foundation of the City until AD 369. The book consists of 30 small parts treating events in Roman history in terse overview, mainly focused on military and political conflicts. It is estimated as a work of very low quality.