sonic
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Posts posted by sonic
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Actually, a more relevant book would be the one on Gaiseric:
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Gaiseric-Hardback/p/13684
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On 3/5/2022 at 3:22 PM, guy said:
A little too dark for me. That song is reminiscent of this Metallica song, which is also too dark for me:
Not fond of "one". Strangely, it's the hook and the riff of the Ghost song that have caught me, rather than the lyrics.
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A bit darker ....
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Oh, and I'm almost certain that Stilicho and Alaric were not 'friends'. They probably saw each other as individuals who could help them reach their personal goals, but as their goals were not the same, it would be more of a political balance rather than a friendship. Alaric was twice defeated by Stilicho, and Stilicho wanted to use Alaric for his own agenda. I don't think Alaric, twice defeated and with his own ambitions stymied by Stilicho, would count Stilicho as a friend. They both wanted the Roman senate to accede to their demands, so it's probably better to see them both as thinking 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' in this case.
But I could be wrong!
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17 hours ago, guy said:
Thanks for reading my post.
I wanted to ask you (since you wrote the book) if you think the relationship between Stilicho and Alaric portrayed in this documentary was as respectful (almost friendly) as depicted. This was an otherwise interesting documentary when it didn't try to force a modern narrative.
To put it mildly, and this is not a criticism - it's impossible to cover so long a period in a short video - the video is simplistic, leaves out
many cogent details, and the maps with arrows plus those with large areas settled by the barbarians can be very confusing. The video has some areas where I disagree, but have to accept that other interpretations are possible.
Specifically, although I agree with the assumption that the Battle of the Frigidus was a major factor, and Stilicho almost certainly withdrew troops from the frontier to defend Italy, there are other factors either attributed without evidence, overlooked or skipped over.
For example, the Romans were never seen as 'invincible', but were acknowledged as extremely dangerous and an attack was likely to provoke a response. At least until later. If seen as invincible, no one would have dared to attack. And there are several defeats throughout the period (upcoming: Hughes, probably late 2022/early 2023, but covering Rome's existence). Also, there is no contemporary evidence that the Rhine was frozen (although this is acknowledged in the video).
However, overlooked is the fact that the numbers of people crossing the Rhine was probably far smaller than previously thought, and although there is the acceptance that the loss at the Frigidus was a major factor, the video covers neither the loss of the Illyrian recruiting grounds to the Eastern half of the Empire, nor Stilicho's plan to use Alaric in an Invasion to recover Illyricum, which would also account for the focus being away from the Rhine.
In my opinion, these are just a few things that should be borne in mind.
(Other opinions are available!!) -
On 2/13/2022 at 4:04 PM, guy said:
There have been many discussions about the controversies surrounding the barbarian crossing the “frozen” Rhine in 405/406.
Here is an in-depth discussion of why the military failed to meet the challenge:
https://www.yalehistoricalreview.org/barbarians-at-the-open-gates/amp/
Here is an interesting video on the events surrounding the barbarian crossing of 406:
This is interesting article that asserts that the crossing occurred in 405 AD (and not the widely accepted 406). This would also explain Stilicho’s seeming inaction to the Barbarian crossing. In 405 Stilicho was preoccupied with fighting the Gothic forces of Radagaisus.https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Crossing_of_the_Rhine
Stilicho's seeming inaction in 406 is also explained by his proposed campaign in Illyricum, as part of which Alaric would be dispatched.
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On 2/5/2022 at 12:58 AM, Novosedoff said:
It would be interesting to probe the Persian sources on the Crassus defeat, I don't know how comfortable you are with Eastern foreign languages. The whole history of the Roman empire is basically a big propaganda myth. Germans screwed it all over the place, but they barely even documented their defeats.
'Roman propaganda'? How dare you - the Romans are always fair and reliable!! 🤣 I'm not great at Persian and Armenian sources, but thankfully many of them are now translated. These are also slightly biased, and, as written later, can be difficult to relate historically.
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47 minutes ago, caldrail said:
How about... the little known campaigns of Rome? Like the expeditions to Kush or what is now Yemen. There's some great stories to be told.
Not a bad idea. Not sure if the sources would give the information needed, but the idea deserves some thought.
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I am currently writing the last book for which I have a contract ('Thirteen Roman Defeats'). If I ever decide to write another, is there any subject members would like to see covered? No guarantees ....
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Chuff me!! I wish I could afford one ....
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Finally, the last in the series of books covering the last century of the Western Roman Empire is now available for pre-order:
Cheers
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Next screen play? I've not written a first, yet!!
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On 11/11/2021 at 12:31 PM, Novosedoff said:
I quite like German Rammstein
Mutter has to be one of my favourite albums of all time!
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His main significance is that he tried to reverse the damage and proved that, if correctly led, it was possible for the Empire to respond to the threats facing it. The fact that his taxation resulted in defeat led to his downfall. But the fact that his taxation proved that the Empire was still, at least in part, financially viable if the aristocracy did their bit, demonstrates that the West was not wholly doomed to die.
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There were a few ancient sources on Constantius III, plus a few coins. Archaeology, not much! Strangely, given his period as patricius etc., there isn't anything specifically about him - no panegyrist like Claudian or Merobaudes. His main notices concern the wars with the Goths and the settlement in Gaul.
Oh, and thanks for buying the books!
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Finally, the last in the series of books covering the last century of the Western Roman Empire is now available for pre-order:
Cheers
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On 10/8/2021 at 11:48 AM, caldrail said:
In a word, lots. Some writers play heavily on the few descriptions of marching legions that list thr equipment they carried with them, and interesting it is too, but I'm very wary of assuming that was in any way standard across the whole of Rome's military.
Firstly, modern mass production did not exist. Therefore basic equipment was bound to vary. The ranks of identical legionaries in film and tv looks cool but isn't likely to look entirely realistic. Variations in the colour of cloth, armour design, weapon details, and shield shapes might be expected. We have one Roman writer who records that a senior officer saw a legionary spending a great deal of time painting his shield and commented scornfully that the soldier was spending more time on that than sharpening his blade. So the design on the shield surface was probably individualised.
I research mainly the later empire and I agree with Caldrail. By the later date the shield patterns may have been more heavily unit-based, but the equipment would depend upon the production of the different arms factories which produced the weapons etc. I am also wary of weapon typologies: some of these weapons could have been produced at the same time by different factories, rather than fitting into a neat chronology.
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On 10/1/2021 at 11:20 PM, caldrail said:
What we're not introduced to as youngsters, or at least not until we reach higher education, is the concept of questioning these stereotypes in favour of deriving from source or archaeological material. I suppose teachers have a hard enough time without kids posing impossible criticisms.
Source interpretation in History is incorporated into English education at the latest from the age of 13. Sadly, most easy-read text books include stereotypes rather than a more detailed debate due simply to the nature of the text.
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There is also the account of Procopius where a man named Koutilas was struck in the middle of his head by a javelin but kept fighting, even with it still in his head, and a man named Arzes who was hit with an arrow in his eye socket (?) which went all the way through to the back of his neck who also continued fighting. Koutilas died when they tried to remove the javelin, but a surgeon realized that a protrusion on the back of Arzes' neck was the head of the arrow and that it would be easier to cut open the neck and pull the arrow through than attempt to pull the arrow back out through the eye socket. Arzes survived.
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I agree that the concept of a hoard specifically sunk must remain conjecture. I would also question whether the dating to the Alans 'or other barbarian peoples'. The question of why such hoards are hidden remains a mystery. If it is due to barbarian activity, it could as easily have been to the later attack of the Vandals during the reigns of Gunderic or Gaiseric.
By the way, I completely disagree with the map. The 'barbarians' took control of parts of the provinces allotted to them, not all.
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Not sure that the article is an unbiased piece of history, rather one attempting to damn Elgin:
"Elgin had gotten what he had lusted after so long."
" Elgin’s workers literally butchered one of the most important monuments on the earth."
'Lusted' and 'butchered' are not words to be used by dispassionate and unattached reporters. The article obviously supports the return of the marbles.
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On 5/1/2019 at 10:18 AM, caldrail said:
Giants are universally present in ancient literature in some form or fashion. Even the Bible mentions a race of them (There is currently a belief in many researchers that a race of giant hominoids lived on Sardinia. So far real evidence is lacking among accusations of cover-ups and conspiracy theories, but to be honest, giant species wouldn't normally evolve on an island - the small enviroment tends to promote smaller individuals).
But culture can adopt literature all too easily. The classic example is the "Holy Grail". There was a 'Holy Chalice' mentioned in three biblical gospels, but the Grail - not originally holy, first arrives in the late twelth century as a prop in a story called Perceval written by Chretien Des Troyes. The hero witnesses a ritual in which the grail is used, but the author died before finishing it, so we don't discover exactly what it is. Some time later Robert De Boron wrote Joseph D'Aramathie, which describes the Grail in a christian context for the first time. The christian church has long been happy to fuse the two objects together and now around two hundred objects are claimed to be the Grail. Then of course you have that silly Blood Royal alternative. In other words, people are seeking reality from a prop in a medieval romance. Just don't get me started on the Bible
The other problem is that later historians sieve through the ancient sources and make suggestions as to what really happened. These theories are then accepted by the next generation before becoming accepted as fact by the third generation. Obviously, the third generation then build their careers upon the theories, meaning that any revision could nullify their careers. This can sometimes result in a strong resistance to overturning established 'facts'.
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I agree with most of what you are saying. I don't think he relied on luck. I think the Vandal kingdom losing its way at that specific time and having Belisarius at hand was lucky.
Roman battles that led to its collapse
in Gloria Exercitus - 'Glory of the Army'
Posted
In my opinion it was a combined effect of multiple problems. Civil wars, the refusal of the rich to pay the taxes needed to fund the army, the loss of recruiting areas, multiple attacks on various fronts, the loss of loyalty around the fringes, amongst others. Oh, and the birth of Gaiseric - the only man whose actions helped speed the decline!