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With its succinct analysis of the overriding issues and detailed
case-studies based on the latest archaeological research, this
social and economic study of Roman Imperial frontiers is essential
reading. Too often the frontier has been represented as a simple
linear boundary. The reality, argues Dr Elton, was rather a fuzzy
set of interlocking zones - political, military, judicial and
financial. After discussion of frontier theory and types of
frontier, the author analyses the acquisition of an empire and the
ways in which it was ruled. He addresses the vexed question of how
to define the edges of provinces, and covers the relationship with
allied kingdoms. Regional variation and different rates of change
are seen as significant - as is illustrated by Civilis' revolt on
the Rhine in AD 69. He uses another case-study - Dura-Europos - to
exemplify the role of the army on the frontier, especially its
relations with the population on both sides of the border. The
central importance of trade is highlighted by special consideration
of Palmyra.
Succinct analysis and detailed case-studies, based on recent
archaeological research, are the basis of this social and economic
study of the Roman Imperial frontiers. It examines the concept of
"frontier" within the Roman Empire, from the first century AD to
the sixth, suggesting that it was a fuzzy set of interlocking zones
- political, military, judicial and financial. Elton focuses on how
the frontier worked and how it affected life for all those in the
frontier zone, not just the Roman army. Each chapter outlines a
major problem and illustrates it with examples from different
regions and periods. The text examines the key features and periods
of the Roman Empire in the light of the most recent archaeological
research. The author includes an analysis of the acquisition of the
empire and the ways in which it was ruled, and also relationships
with allied kingdoms. Finally, he highlights the central importance
of trade by special consideration of Palmyra.
Shifting Genres in Late Antiquity examines the transformations that
took place in a wide range of genres, both literary and
non-literary, in this dynamic period. The Christianisation of the
Roman empire and the successor kingdoms had a profound impact on
the evolution of Greek and Roman literature, and many aspects of
this are discussed in this volume - the composition of church
history, the collection of papal letters, heresiology, homiletics
and apologetic. Contributors discuss authors such as John
Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, Cassiodorus, Jerome, Liberatus of
Carthage, Victor of Vita, and Epiphanius of Salamis as well as the
Collectio Avellana. Secular literature too, however, underwent
important changes, notably in Constantinople in the sixth century.
Several chapters accordingly reassess the work of Procopius of
Caesarea and literature of this period; attention is also given to
the evolution of the chronicle genre. Technical writing, such as
military manuals and legal texts, are the focus of other chapters;
further genres considered include monody, epigraphy and
epistolography. Changes in visual representation are also
considered in chapters devoted to diptychs, monuments and coins. A
common theme that emerges from the chapters is the flexibility and
adaptability of genres in the period: late antique authors, whether
orators or historians, were not slavish followers of their
classical predecessors. They were capable of engaging with their
models, adapting them to their own purposes, and producing work
that deserves to be considered on its own merits. It is necessary
to examine their texts and genres closely to grasp what they set
out to do; on occasion, attention must also be paid to the
transmission of these texts. The volume as a whole represents a
significant contribution to the reassessment of late antique
culture in general.
Shifting Genres in Late Antiquity examines the transformations that
took place in a wide range of genres, both literary and
non-literary, in this dynamic period. The Christianisation of the
Roman empire and the successor kingdoms had a profound impact on
the evolution of Greek and Roman literature, and many aspects of
this are discussed in this volume - the composition of church
history, the collection of papal letters, heresiology, homiletics
and apologetic. Contributors discuss authors such as John
Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, Cassiodorus, Jerome, Liberatus of
Carthage, Victor of Vita, and Epiphanius of Salamis as well as the
Collectio Avellana. Secular literature too, however, underwent
important changes, notably in Constantinople in the sixth century.
Several chapters accordingly reassess the work of Procopius of
Caesarea and literature of this period; attention is also given to
the evolution of the chronicle genre. Technical writing, such as
military manuals and legal texts, are the focus of other chapters;
further genres considered include monody, epigraphy and
epistolography. Changes in visual representation are also
considered in chapters devoted to diptychs, monuments and coins. A
common theme that emerges from the chapters is the flexibility and
adaptability of genres in the period: late antique authors, whether
orators or historians, were not slavish followers of their
classical predecessors. They were capable of engaging with their
models, adapting them to their own purposes, and producing work
that deserves to be considered on its own merits. It is necessary
to examine their texts and genres closely to grasp what they set
out to do; on occasion, attention must also be paid to the
transmission of these texts. The volume as a whole represents a
significant contribution to the reassessment of late antique
culture in general.
Asia Minor is considered to have been a fairly prosperous region in
Late Antiquity. It was rarely disturbed by external invasions and
remained largely untouched by the continuous Roman-Persian conflict
until very late in the period, was apparently well connected to the
flourishing Mediterranean economy and, as the region closest to
Constantinople, is assumed to have played an important part in the
provisioning of the imperial capital and the imperial armies. When
exactly this prosperity came to an end - the late sixth century,
the early, middle or even later seventh century - remains a matter
of debate. Likewise, the impact of factors such as the dust veil
event of 536, the impact of the bubonic plague that made its first
appearance in AD 541/542, the costs and consequences of Justinian's
wars, the Persian attacks of the early seventh century and,
eventually the Arab incursions of around the middle of the seventh
century, remains controversial. This volume explores a series of
themes including the physical development of large and small
settlements, their financial situation, and the proportion of
public and private investment. Imperial, provincial, and local
initiatives in city and countryside are compared and the main
motivations examined, including civic or personal pride, military
incentives and religious stimuli. The evidence presented will be
used to form opinions on the impact of the plague on living
circumstances in the sixth century and to evaluate the significance
of the Justinianic period.
The site of medieval Euchaita, on the northern edge of the central
Anatolian plateau, was the centre of the cult of St Theodore Tiro
('the Recruit'). Unlike most excavated or surveyed urban centres of
the Byzantine period, Euchaita was never a major metropolis,
cultural centre or extensive urban site, although it had a military
function from the seventh to ninth centuries. Its significance lies
precisely in the fact that as a small provincial town, something of
a backwater, it was probably more typical of the 'average'
provincial Anatolian urban settlement, yet almost nothing is known
about such sites. This volume represents the results of a
collaborative project that integrates archaeological survey work
with other disciplines in a unified approach to the region both to
enhance understanding of the history of Byzantine provincial
society and to illustrate the application of innovative approaches
to field survey.
In this volume, Hugh Elton offers a detailed and up to date history
of the last centuries of the Roman Empire. Beginning with the
crisis of the third century, he covers the rise of Christianity,
the key Church Councils, the fall of the West to the Barbarians,
the Justinianic reconquest, and concludes with the twin wars
against Persians and Arabs in the seventh century AD. Elton
isolates two major themes that emerge in this period. He notes that
a new form of decision-making was created, whereby committees
debated civil, military, and religious matters before the emperor,
who was the final arbiter. Elton also highlights the evolution of
the relationship between aristocrats and the Empire, and provides
new insights into the mechanics of administering the Empire, as
well as frontier and military policies. Supported by primary
documents and anecdotes, The Roman Empire in Late Antiquity is
designed for use in undergraduate courses on late antiquity and
early medieval history.
In this volume, Hugh Elton offers a detailed and up to date history
of the last centuries of the Roman Empire. Beginning with the
crisis of the third century, he covers the rise of Christianity,
the key Church Councils, the fall of the West to the Barbarians,
the Justinianic reconquest, and concludes with the twin wars
against Persians and Arabs in the seventh century AD. Elton
isolates two major themes that emerge in this period. He notes that
a new form of decision-making was created, whereby committees
debated civil, military, and religious matters before the emperor,
who was the final arbiter. Elton also highlights the evolution of
the relationship between aristocrats and the Empire, and provides
new insights into the mechanics of administering the Empire, as
well as frontier and military policies. Supported by primary
documents and anecdotes, The Roman Empire in Late Antiquity is
designed for use in undergraduate courses on late antiquity and
early medieval history.
The papers presented in this book take as their subject the military, political and economic changes forced upon the inhabitants of Gaul during the fifth century AD. They seek to describe and explain how Gallo-Romans of all orders of society reacted to barbarian invasion and the growing debilitation of the western imperial government. The unusually wide range of topics dealt with allows the Gallic experience to be viewed and interpreted from many different directions. Much is made of the problematic, because highly subjective, nature of the literary sources; but close attention is also given to modern advances in our understanding of the archaeological and numismatic data. The whole presents a picture of a society under immense stress, as the people of the Gallic provinces abandoned, perforce, their allegiance to Roman emperors and yielded to the rule of Germanic kings, while yet preserving a significant element of their late antique culture.
Despite the importance of warfare in the collapse of the Roman Empire, this is the only comprehensive study of the subject available. Hugh Elton discusses the practice of warfare in Europe, from both Roman and barbarian perspectives, in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. He analyzes the military practices and capabilities of the Romans and their northern enemies at political, strategic, operational, and tactical levels, and covers civil wars, sieges, and naval warfare.
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