sonic

How do I see the image of the monument at this link? Where and what do I click on? I second that question.

I'm not allowed to watch TV programmes on Late Rome anymore. Whatever value there is in watching the experts give their views - and I must admit I agree with some but not all - the large number of mistakes that are made result in my shouting at the television. Needless to say, my other half and my son do not appreciate this, so I'm banned. ______________________________________________ PS. Just watched a clip of the programme from the internet: Utube I'm off to bang my head against a wall ...

I agree that in effect the policy could be classed as short-sighted, yet I think this attitude is a little unfair. After all, we have the benefit of hindsight ...

The ban was revoked in 440, when the news arrived in Italy that the Vandals had taken Africa and equipped a fleet for a raiding expedition. Valentinian didn't know where it would land, so .... In the same law he states that the generals are doing what they can for the emergency, and that help was expected from the East. I agree that he probably wasn't attempting to resurrect the 'citizen militia', simply hoping that the citizens in Italy and Sicily would take the hint and defend themselves.

Weren't the limitani a citizen militia? No. The limitanei were members of the regular army. It was only later that they were granted land for service and might be called a 'citizen militia'. The original - although probably not the first - law was passed in 364:

Probably the last place I visited was Caerwent. Absolutely amazing how much of the Roman walls are still standing.

Neither do I. Could it be because we do have Adobe Flash 11?

That looks like quite a good site. Cheers. As you say, though, it will take some getting used to ...

A book on Aetius! Damn! Another book on my "must read list." Ian: Was Aetius an Arian Christian (as, I believe, Stilicho was)? I think history minimizes the importance and significance of the tensions between the orthodox Roman Catholic church and other diverse Christian groups, such as the Arians. guy also known as gaius Sorry, Aetius was a Catholic. I agree that religion was an important facet of the times. Tensions between religious groups, especially in Africa, could lead to unrest and even the possibility of the inhabitants siding with the barbarian invaders. However, it needs to be remembered that the 'Germanic' generals in both East and West (by the time of Aetius Germanic generals were again dominant in the East!) were probably either Arians or had converted to Catholicism, so the religious leanings of the men at the top may have been seen as a nuisance but not as a bar to high rank - as long as they were good at their job!

Thank a lot for the support. It's very much appreciated. Yes, it took quite a while to write 'Stilicho', but it was a picnic compared to the one I'm writing now on 'Aetius'. Every time I think I've got things sorted, I find another little piece of evidence - for example a line from Sidonius - and have to go back and .... Darn frustrating at times!!

Have you read the Belisarius book by Lord Mahon?? There aren't many books around about this great Roman, Mahon's book was written in the 1800's so is obviously quite old fashioned in its reading but still very good, although it does rely heavily on Procopius where as Ian's book gives us a much wider insight into the life of Belisarius. Both are excellent books, although Ian's in probably the better and more entertaining of the two, Lord Mahon's is still worth reading. Thank you both for the nice words. It's very much appreciated. I agree that Lord Mahon's work is worth reading. The only problem with it is that, as you say, Mahon accepts Procopius' story at face value, whereas recent research has shown that Procopius either covered-up or didn't know of other events, such as the two battles early in Belisarius' career, both of which were lost. Gold plated?? Ye Gods - how much did you pay for it?

Hello all. It's recently been brought to my attention that I have failed to inform the readers of this august forum that I have a new book available - via Pen and Sword and all good book shops (and Amazon!). I grovel in abject apology for the oversight and hope you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me. 'Stilicho: the Vandal Who Saved Rome' was published 30 June 2010 by Pen and Sword and is an attempt to re-evaluate the life and career of the late-Roman magister militum Stilicho using the relatively-meagre sources available. I hope that you enjoy it and find it useful. Ian

OK, I might be being a bit dumb here ... Just looked on my viewing profile under blog (which I never use!) and saw a caption called 'Reputation'. Has this always been there or is it new? Not only that, what is it?

Hannibal? Elephants?? Alps??? Scipio, have you been drinking again?! OR "Is that you Varus? Augustus wants to know if he can have his legions back."

Kirk here. For God's sake, stop %*&%ing around and beam me up Scotty!!

Theodora, wife of Justinian? Possibly Antonina, wife of Belisarius?

Throwing my toga into the arena!

OK, I'm gullible enough to do this .... Any chance of being Gaius Julius Vindex in Gaul?

Just as an add-on, I was looking for an inscription on Merobaudes for the new book (on Aetius) and found out that it was CIL VI 1724. On using CIL, the Bibliography (at the bottom) read: "H

Yes please. It would be nice to do something other than sit in front of a computer screen!

You would need to be careful in other ways as well. For example, probably the most-quoted extract given as proof of anti-barbarian feeling is that of Synesius of Cyrene, who made a speech, De Regno (

That title doesn't make a whole lot of sense, considering that calling Stilicho a Vandal would be like calling Obama a Kenyan. They both had parents who were those but that doesn't make them such. To the vast majority of people - and especially those reading books on the Late Empire written between c,1960 and 1990/2000 - Stilicho is still seen as a Vandal, a German who was more interested in working with his fellow German Alaric than in saving the West. The actual text follows the more 'modern' line that Stilicho, despite having a Vandal for a father, was actually Roman.

I don't know if this helps, but my book on Stilicho is being published in June. Stilicho This will - hopefully! - answer some of the questions you've posted here.

Theodosius' new recruits were deployed in places such as Egypt and the units they replaced were transported to the Balkans, where they faced the Goths in a second battle and were defeated. Only then did Theodosius adopt the strategy that slowly defeated the Goths.

I keep seeing 'Goths' on the street!