Gordopolis

Thanks. We're going in July. Should be some spectacle!

Hi All, Just a shout out to let you know that my new Legionary novel - 'Empire of Shades' - is out. If you're not familiar with the series, it's Late Roman, and is set in the Eastern Empire during the time of Valens and Theodosius. Here's the foxy cover art and a teaser intro 379 AD: Thracia has fallen to the Gothic horde… With the ashes of Adrianople still swirling in the air, the Eastern Roman Empire is in turmoil. The emperor is dead, the throne lies empty and the remaining fragments of the army are few and scattered. Numerius Vitellius Pavo, now Tribunus of the XI Claudia, tries to hold his patchwork ranks together amidst the storm. One of the few legions to have survived the disaster at Adrianople, the Claudia do what they can to keep alive the dying flame of hope. When word spreads of a new Eastern Emperor, those hopes rise. But the coming of this leader will stir the Gothic War to new heights. And it will cast Pavo headlong into the sights of the one responsible for the East’s plight – a man mighty and seemingly untouchable, and one who will surely crush any who dares to challenge him. From the ashes of Adrianople, new heroes will rise… with dark ghosts in close pursuit. Paperback and eBook, available here: Amazon UK Amazon USA And there's plenty of goodies - free samples, imagery and companion short stories etc - here: http://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/legionary/legionary-empire-of-shades---free-prologue http://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/legionary/legionary6gallery http://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/cityoftheblind If you decide to try, I hope you enjoy. Would be great to hear your thoughts too. Cheers, Gordon

Ah, yes, I know the man behind the username - and his work

I've been listening to this over the last few months. Quality content that digs deep and shines light on the why when where and who of the fall of the West. Recommended!

Ah, I see. From what I've read, Diocletian's centralised fabricae (at least some of them) remained in place throughout Vegetius' era and well beyond into the 5th century, but it sounds like the system changed a fair bit in that time. What sources can you recommend re the diversity of the fabricae system? PS - glad to be here

I agree that Vegetius' probably misunderstood the commando/guerrilla style warfare introduced/escalated in the 4th century and misinterpreted it as a failing rather than an innovation. I'm still not sure re the fabricae argument though. Vegetius is quite specific in stating that "From the foundation of the city till the reign of the Emperor Gratian, the foot wore cuirasses and helmets". The fabricae had been in place since Diocletian's time, so it would seem odd if they were to suddenly falter and fail to serve their purpose after nearly 100 years of delivery. P.S. Caldrail - I just realised why your username is familiar to me: have we had a similar debate to this on WorldHistoria? http://www.worldhistoria.com/topic129265.html

I'd echo Sonic's take on it. It's almost impossible for anyone in a high station to be as morally flawless as the Christian panegyrics/A would suggest, but B and nothing but B ignores the person underneath the power (unless he was a first order sociopath, he'd have a conscience like anyone else). How would you rationalise the points I made (particularly the 4th one) in favour of B, Caldrail?

Hi All, I'm a bit late to the party here, but this is an interesting topic. Here's my tuppence on the Christian matter: When we consider Constantine's 'agenda' regarding Christianity, people tend to fall into one of two camps: A. He was a devout and kind Christian at heart or B. He was a cynical, power-hungry megalomaniac who harnessed Christianty to achieve his goals Like most matters, I believe we have to look for a certain shade of grey. Certainly, Christianity broke that glass ceiling of acceptance around the time of Constantine's rise to power, though whether there is causation or mere correlation between the two, we cannot say for sure (Constantine certainly helped Christianity along, but I'd argue that it had gathered such momentum that it would have risen to be the prominent faith even without him). What I have found from my investigations into his life and times (of which little is recorded) are a few details which paint a picture of a man who knew what he wanted and how to get it, but not without due respect and adherence to (possibly worship of) the Christian faith: 1) As most will know, his mother, Helena, was a devout Christian. Constantine was utterly devoted to her. Would such a loyal son be capable of a cynical power-grab, exploiting his mother's faith to help achieve control of the empire? Well, perhaps, the world is full of nasty people, but it did make me doubt the cynic theory, especially when you understand the depths of Constantine's love for his mother. 2) Constantine's father, Constantius, was a Mars-worshipper but Christian-tolerant. In fact he never allowed the Persecutions to take hold in the West during his reign there. 3) Constantine was tutored by Lactantius (about as devout a Christian as you'll get), so most probably had a full understanding of the faith. Thus, when he patronised the faith, it is unlikely that he did so in an unconsidered fashion or without a degree of deep reasoning. 4) This is the most telling one for me: Before Constantine forced himself into the Tetrarchy, he was offered the hand of Valeria, the daughter of Galerius' (at that time Caesar of the East). Now this would have seated him comfortably by Galerius' side and surely in the line of succession. But Constantine refused the offer and instead chose to wed Minervina, a relatively low-born Syrian Christian. By doing so, he not only rejected the chance of a huge step up in station, but also risked the wrath of Galerius and Diocletian - the Great Christian Persecutors.

From left: a Republican-era legionary, a Principate-era legionary, then two options for a later, Dominate-era legionary - armour or no armour? So what is the take on URNV re Vegetius' claim that the late legions operated without armour? I don't buy the decay and decline theory. I reckon they chose not to wear armour only when it suited them (i.e. tactically). Here's my thinking: http://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/thelateromanlegionary-armourornoarmour

Ah, Mr. Hughes A.K.A. Sonic - delighted to meet you! A very big thanks for your excellent studies of the period. Valens and Adrianople certainly became a lot more colourful and 'real' in my imagination thanks to your work. As I mentioned in the article, your theory of the Goths hitting the Roman right made a lot of sense to me when I read it, and my visit to the sites of Demirhanli and Muratcali only strengthened my convictions. Would love to go back there, but the Syrian crisis really hit home around those parts just after we left (was really saddened to return home and see the pics on the news of the refugees streaming along the Edirne roads we had traveled - somewhat poignant as I was in the middle of writing about the wandering, homeless Gothic horde). Can you imagine what even a basic sweep with a detector might uncover? I reckon getting it on the plane to go over there might be just as big a challenge as actually getting a permit to do a sweep tho!

I spent a few weeks earlier in the year fulfilling a long-held ambition: I traveled to ancient Thracia in search of the Battle of Adrianople - a pivotal clash that had far-reaching consequences for both the Eastern and Western Empires. Tens of thousands of legionaries fell to Fritigern's Gothic horde somewhere near the city that gave its name to the battle. Yet to this day, nobody has successfully located the site of the battle. I'd love to say I solved the riddle... but it confounded me too, though I had great fun exploring and putting shape to the landscape I've read so much about. Here's all my pics, historical facts and theories: http://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/thebattleofadrianople

Another travelogue from my trip to Western Turkey last year: this time discussing my excursion to the ancient city of Adrianople (modern Edirne) http://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/theancientcityofadrianople Commenting on my blog site is a bit of a pain, so happy to discuss here

I had the pleasure of spending a few weeks in Istanbul earlier this year, with the aim of seeking out as many late Roman & Byzantine ruins as possible. I explored the Sultanahmet district, finding ruins of the great palace, I walked along the land walls (imagining the Ottoman siege as I went), I toured the Imperial way and I ventured north into the Galata region, across the Golden Horn. Pics and snippets of all the historical finds here: http://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/walkingthroughconstantinople Hope you like