Five Books to master in Roman frontier strategy and mentality

[ASCLEPIADES]

Another thing that changed was Rome's awareness of the world. Under the republic Rome still did not a very great idea, however as the empire expanded and the world kept going, the Romans realized that it was actually bigger then they thought; and more mysterious.

 

This reminds me of Alexander's attitude towards conquest - always looking over the hill for new territory, and being surprised by how large the world really was as he advanced further along its surface.

 

This has actually got me thinking about Roman ideas about Geography and how it shaped their frontier strategy. Even as late as the 4th and 5th centuries the Romans were still rather ignorant of lands beyond their borders, especially those beyond Germania. Jordanes (quoting the earlier Roman geographers Pomponius Mela and Claudius Ptolomaeus), when discussing Scandinavia (Scandza) mentions it as being an island. Some modern historians have found this so odd that they believe that the Goths must not have originated from this part of the world.

 

Then again Attila did create a sort of 'Iron curtain' to keep the Roman spies out of his empire. This does at least hint that the Romans sent agents beyond their borders to keep an eye on the tribes, whether they paid an attention to the geography of the area is another matter.

Edited December 1, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES