Jump to content
UNRV Ancient Roman Empire Forums

sonic

Patricii
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    498

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    33

 Content Type 

Posts posted by sonic

  1. Justinians Reconquest

    in Postilla Historia Romanorum

    Posted

    To some degree I disagree:  I don't think Justinian had an overarching plan to reconquer the West.  His reconquest of Africa from the Vandals was born out of chance, and it was this that was the spark for the further attempts at conquest.  I do agree that luck was against him, but only after the defeat of the Vandals.  That was the greatest slice of luck in his - or possibly any Roman emperor's reign.

  2. Writing is not profitable anymore

    in Academia

    Posted · Edited by sonic

    Hi all

    As some of you may already know, I have decided to hang up my quill after writing one more book. The main reason for this is that, for me and many like me, writing books is no longer worth the effort regarding financial rewards.  On a personal level, writing is wonderful:  the ability to discover new aspects of subjects during research and then share them with readers has always filled me with excitement.  BUT .... I can earn more in a fortnight working two hours a day as a tutor than I receive in six months in royalties from all of my books.

    This is not due to my books not selling.  It is due to the onset of the digital age.  When amazon sells 2,000 digital copies of only one of  my books and I receive 2.5 pence (for American readers, that's about 3.5c) per book, it is unsurprising that I can no longer justify sitting at home and writing.  Each book take c.18 months of research and composition, and such small reward is more than slightly insulting.  Of more importance, I need money to live, and it is simply no longer worthwhile.

    I often wonder how many other writers have entered the publishing world in hope and excitement and been discouraged and so stopped writing simply because financially it is no longer viable.

  5. Interests

    in Imperium Romanorum

    Posted

    Over the last few months there have been a lot of new members signing in to UNRV.  However few of them have posted.  So a few basic questions for these individuals.

    What period of Roman history fascinates you the most?

    What aspect of that period (e.g. military, emperors, religion) are you most interested in?

    Are there any specific questions you have yet to find the answers to?

    Ian

  10. The sudden death of Alaric

    in Imperium Romanorum

    Posted

    14 hours ago, caldrail said:

    As well intended as it is, I'm always very sceptical of these sort of diagnoses, made on the back of flimsy description or evidence, and some are incredibly exotic. I do accept that malaria is potentially the cause - Rome was increasingly prone to this sort of disease with so much standing water about - the drainage system of Rome is hugely exaggerated.

    Agreed.  It is usually impossible to even guess at the cause due to the fact that the sources rarely give enough detail, and where they do it is necessary to analyse the description, as sometimes the portrayal of the death has more to do with the writer's personal agenda rather than an attempt to give an accurate account.

  11. Life and times of Flavius Arbogast

    in Romana Humanitas

    Posted

    Just read the Wikipedia page on Arbogastes.  That is a very odd entry and I'm not convinced of its accuracy.  I'm unsure as to Arbogastes being a 'native of Galatia', as apart from Socrates this is not mentioned.  As to 'Resided within the Frankish domain as a native of Galatia Minor', this makes no sense at all to me.  It just seems to be accepting Socrates' statement at face value and attempting to shoehorn information into a single sentence.  The entry reads: 

    [Talking about Eugenius]  ‘For associating with himself Arbogastes, a native of Galatia Minor, who then had the command of a division of the army, a man harsh in manner and very bloodthirsty, he determined to usurp the sovereignty.’  (Socrates 5.25

     

    Socrates in translation) 

    I know of no reason for him being 'expelled' from anywhere for any misdemeanour.  On the contrary, he is highly praised by Eunapius (frg. 53) and Zosimus (4.33.1-2, 53.1) for his military qualities and his contempt for money (PLRE2).

    In reality, Arbogast was a Frank who served under Gratian in the West, then Theodosius in the East, before being made Western magister militum by Theodosius after the defeat of Maximus in 388.  He later supported Eugenius in the West against Theodosius. 

    You might be interested to note that although a 'Frank', in Gaul he conducted expeditions against the Franks (e.g. Paulin. V Amb. 30).

  15. WAS THE ROMAN EMPIRE EVIL?

    in Imperium Romanorum

    Posted

    I think for this thread the main sticking point would be the definition of 'evil'.  Do you mean that they did things to hurt people on purpose with no 'valid' reason behind it?  That they acted in a selfish way in order to get what they wanted, without taking the feelings of others into account?  Or their 'atrocities'?  Or are you talking about the individuals who ruled and ordered such things?  Or some other reason?  By defining the term 'evil' you could open the whole debate.

    • Like 2

  17. Who Killed Germanicus?

    in Imperium Romanorum

    Posted

    On 20/04/2017 at 4:10 PM, Romanez said:

    I have just finished the Stephen Dando-Collins book on Germanicus and i have to say that i felt a little unsatisfied with his conclusion. I don't see how he can accuse his wife of helping to murder him. Although i did enjoy reading the book i felt as though there were more likely people to have brought about Germanicus' demise. 

    I have to admit that I am not the greatest fan of Dando-Collins.  Many of the claims in his other books appear either far-fetched or simply wrong - especially in his 'Complete Roman Legions.  I did a review of his book 'The Great Fire of Rome. http://www.unrv.com/book-review/the-great-fire-of-rome.php (the review has been transferred from the old site, hence the strange punctuation etc.)  Although interesting in some ways, his main conclusions don't seem to hold water at all!

  19. Hun skulls force scientists to think twice about how the Roman Empire really fell apart

    in Archaeological News: Rome

    Posted

    "Ferocious Atilla and his ferocious Huns are often blamed for the fall of the Roman Empire"

    Says it all, really.  First there's the misspelling of 'Attila' plus a massive simplification.  Then a more balanced article which notes that the Fall was a complex evolution of events where people interacted in an attempt to survive.  A reason why I'm not a great fan of lazy journalists!  Or should I say, 'Headline Writers'?  ;)

  20. Itali - The Ancient "Italians"

    in Historia in Universum

    Posted

    14 hours ago, Viggen said:

    @sonic as you are also into early Roman period, maybe you know something about Sicanians or this period?

    If I remember correctly, the trouble is that the period is very badly attested by conflicting reports and opinions.  The ancient sources claim they came from the east, or the west, or were the first inhabitants, so the evidence is contradictory.  At some point in the distant future I'm hoping to look into this on a 'professional' basis, but at the moment I'm stuck researching Attila the Hun!

    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...