DecimusCaesar

I'm a bit late, but Happy Birthday!

In the Later era patrols of the Danube and the Rhine were made by special 'Ripenses' - Cavalry Vexillations (plus infantry on some occasions), as the limitanei were stationary and could therefore not patrol far from their defensive towns/forts. These Ripenses were considered to be less privelaged than the mobile field forces of the Comitatenses, according to a law of AD 325. It is difficult to know how much soldiers patrolled the limes in this time, but the size of the Roman military was increased considerably during the late third and fourth century.

Thank you very much, I still don't feel like I did the book justice in the review though. There is a stunning lack of books on Carthage... Every book dealing directly with Punic Carthage as a whole is out of print. Including (I think) this one! The pictures alone in this book make it worth the cost of finding a copy. I know what you mean, I've been trying to get a copy of a book on Rome's war with Carthage recently, although it's been out of print for many years. It's a Peter Connolly title, which I'd like to get because it was one of the earliest books I remember reading about the Romans. It's a shame they no longer publish them.

Just Thought I'd post ths great picture of Veterans of the War of 1812. I came across this picture some time back and I thought of putting it up here, although I forgot in time. Information about the picture from the Site: John Smoke Johnson, Jacob Warner and John Tutlee.Jacob Warner and John Tutlee were two of the Iroquois warriors who encountered Laura Secord as she approached the British camp to warn of the impending invasion by American troops. The Iroquois led her to Lieutenant Fitzgibbon, whose troops mobilized and overcame the Americans.

What a magnificent find! And the Timewatch show will be one to look out for. This find will no doubt greatly increase our knowledge of Romanblood sports, and it sort of reminds you that Gladiators were all too human.

Excellent review Pan. You make a good point about the lack of books on Carthage. I personally have never seen a book dealing with Carthage on its own, it's usually just books about the same subjects: The Punic Wars and Hannibal - and then they are usually told from the perspective of the Romans. There ought to be more books like those written by Serge Lancel.

Now that's a great offer! I have Peter Brown's The World of Late Antiquity. It is lavishly illustrated with the art of the period. I especially like the strange marble bust of the 'Philosopher' on page 69 - It still has hints of the Classical period yet the eyes and the shape of the head are clearly influenced by the art styles of the Dominate. Brown's book was one of the most influential books ever written on the Late Roman Empire, and his ideas about the 'Dark Ages' have influenced historical scholarship for the last few decades. It is only now, with the publication of Peter Heather and Bryan Ward-Perkins' books, that his ideas on the 'Late Antique World' are falling out of popularity. It's a good book, although I don't agree with Brown on all of his ideas.

Great list Nephele! If only publishers began releasing more biographies of famous women from the Classical period. There are quite a few on the women of the late republic and early empire (Livia - as reviewed by the Augusta for instance), but they should publish some works on the women of the later empire. I've been trying to find a biography on Galla Placidia (and her daughter Honoria) and I can only find German books and novels. If only they'd release a good English biography!

The Huns did not have a metal stirrup - although John Mann, authour of a biography on Attila, proposes that the Huns might have used rope as a stirrup. Using a rope tied around the big toe as a type of stirrup had been in use in India during the first century BC. It is puzzling therefore that the idea never took off. Whether the Huns actually used the rope stirrup is open to interpretation, although many historians and archaeologists would argue that they didn't. It reminds me that some people hypothesised that the Goths won the battle of Adrianople because the Gothic cavalry made use of stirrups. This idea was quickly proven to be false.

The army at Adrianople was armoured I believe, as the weight of the armour increased the fatigue of the soldiers who had been quick marched to the battle site. One of the main reasons why the army at Adrianople was defeated was that they were pinned by the Gothic forces - either with infantry or cavalry - and were therefore unable to manouver. Ammianus Marcellinus says that the soldiers were so tightly packed they could not raise their sword arms. He also mentions that although the Gothic archers could not see the Romans throught the dust clouds and the smoke, they could shoot anywhere and still hit a Roman as each vexillatio was compressed together.

*Decimus hide behind a curtain like the Emperor Claudius and snatches a slice of pizza from the table when he thinks no one is looking.*

Late Roman navies would be scattered through many areas of the Empire, although in some other areas they would have fallen out of use, considering that the Germanic barbarians were not typically sea-faring nations (It was illegal to give barbarians ship building technology - especially the Huns). In Britain, the navy played an important part in fighting against the Saxon pirates - although most of the fighting would be done with boats on rivers, rather than the large 'Liburna' type battleships. These boats - called picati, meaning painted - would be some 25 metres in length with 40 oarsmen - 20 on each side. When the Liburna were used their main tactic was to lure enemy ships into a trap by drawing them into shallows and rivers, or to cut them off from a retreat if they landed on the shore. The main purpose of the Classis Britannica (the Roman navy of Britain) was to provide intelligence by patrolling for sea raiders. In many ways, these Liburna did not differ much from the ships of the late Republic (like those used at Actium). They were noted for their speed, had a bronze ram tipped on the front and were well protected from missile attack. Both the large battlsehips and the smaller boats would have heavily armed marines on deck. We have an example of a late Roman battlsehip after the remains of one was found on the middle Rhine. There is a reconstruction of this ship to be found in Mainz, at the Museum of Fur Antike Seefahrt. This ship seems to have been a light warship with a wide flat bottom, best designed to sail the rivers rather than the sea.

Was she kciked off for being drunk, or even worse...for being a pirate? Will they be discriminating against ninja as well? What about modern day samurai, or cowboys or vikings, will they be discriminated against? What on Earth were the college administration doing on MySpace anyway? Still, it makes you consider what you put up on Myspace - it's best to just set your site to private, just in case.

I find the Scirian tribe interesting. They were subdued by the Huns and they became their (reluctant) allies. Edeco, the leader of the Scirians, became one of Attila's henchmen and his second in command. Later on, Odoacer another member of the Scirian tribe, overthrew the Western Empire. Although they aren't well known, they obviously played an important part in the empire's history.

I had heard of Chelmsford 123 before, but I have never seen it up until now. Great clips Augustus! It's also great to see that it's available on dvd!

Ravenna was noted for its beauty at the time, and city was a great spot in terms of weather. But as Maladict points out, one of the worst elements concerning Ravenna was its lack of water, which often left many citizens feeling parched and ill, even when their city wasn't under siege. Still many of the buildings preserved at Ravenna are some of the finest examples we have of late Roman and early Byzantine art.

From the article: I can't wait to see the reconstruction. According to the article the find will be published in an archaeology magazine later today. Hopefully they might turn up some other significant finds from the area.

Here are some of the bas reliefs depicting Arab camel riders battling against Assyrians. From the gutenburg orginisation. Here is ian illustration of an Assyrian horse archer:

This is an excellent book. I have it, and refer to it often. One may find out more about the Wall than he knew. I have to agree with everyone here. David J Breeze and Brian Dobson's book is brilliant and informative, not only is it well written and full of useful information but the appendices are very useful as well.

Excellent picture JP! I like the detail on the Assyrian's armour. It's also historically correct, especially concerning the two arabs riding on the camel's back. Are you planning on doing any more?

Haven't they also discovered that the Mayans committed human scrifice of children as well? Although the Mayans weren't as bloodthirsty as the other civilisations in the region, and human sacrifice was usually done in small numbers. The Aztecs on the other hand could sacrifice several thousand people in one day. This was common during the flower wars of the fifteenth century. Perhaps Mel Gibson's film should have been about the Aztecs rather than the Mayans. THe Mayans weren't half as destructive as the Aztecs, and Gibson has recieved lots of criticism from archaeologists and native American groups for his extremely negative portrayl of the native peoples of the Yucatan. Still, as this article does show - Human sacrifice certainly did take place.

An independant games studio known as 'Wildfiregames' is creating a real time strategy game on the ancient world known as 0AD. The game, which has a 3D engine, will contain many famous battles of the period including Rome's wars against the Celts and the Punic wars. Other campaigns contain Alexander the Great's battles as well as the struggle between the Greek city states. The game is currently in development, but when it is finished it will be available to download for free. Here's a link to the games' website: Wildfiregames - Zero AD The site conatins videos, historical articles and a photo gallery.

That's true. Attila and Bleda's raids on the east are usually overlooked by westerners today. Not to mention his defeat of two eastern armies in 440's and his plunder of various towns in the Balkans. These are usually overshadowed by the invasion of Italy and the destruction brought on Gaul.

I think that historically the Iranians never showed much interest in Ancient Persian monuments. According to an article I read a while ago - perhaps the New York Book Review - the Iranians did'nt care for their pre-Islamic history (this was during the nineteenth century). I believe that only European scholars showed an interest in Ancient Persia, mostly because of Herodotus and the Empire's connection with the birth story of Western Civilisation. Later on, during the twentieth century the Iranians started showing an interest in Ancient Persia, while Cyrus the Great and other figures became national heroes. It's sad therefore that some Iranians have returned to their previous attitiude on ancient history. I hope that the structures remain intact or that the government changes their minds. I'm glad that I went to see the Persian Exhibition at the British Museum.

Yes, the Hunnic Empire did not last long after the death of Attila, and the damage it caused the eastern empire wasn't as great as the devestation caused by later invaders. I believe that our modern day perceptions of the Huns were greatly influenced by the Eastern Romans. Our most vivid descriptions of Attila comes from the account of Priscus, a 'Byzantine' diplomat; while Priscus was quoted by Jordanes, a Gothic historian who worked in Constantinople. A lot of information concerning the Huns comes from Byzantine chronicles as well. I am not sure if the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus mentions the Huns, although he did write a history of the Dominate period.