The Roman army had a thousand years of tradition behind it by 284, the accession of Diocletian. Continue reading “The Roman Army from Diocletian to Zeno”
The Roman Army from Diocletian to Zeno
Prayer in Ancient Greece
In this post we present excerpts from the memorable work of Athanasios Stageiritis* “Ogygia or Archaeology” (Ωγυγία ή Αρχαιολογία) which refer to praying and in general to the stance of Greeks towards the Divine. Continue reading “Prayer in Ancient Greece”
Raising an army in Post-Roman Europe – The seventh century Lombard Italy
From the early seventh century the sources available to us are more numerous and more evenly distributed across the west. By this period, the ‘ethnic’ armies descended from the late Roman field armies had evolved into armies raised from classes of landowners. This evolution continued through the seventh century. Continue reading “Raising an army in Post-Roman Europe – The seventh century Lombard Italy”
The last ‘Byzantine’ Turks (15th cen. A.D.)
As a result of the battle of Ankara in July of 1402, the Ottomans suffered a crushing defeat by Emir Timur, which caused a brief period of anti-Ottoman restoration in Anatolia and the Balkans. Continue reading “The last ‘Byzantine’ Turks (15th cen. A.D.)”
Eastern Roman (‘Byzantine’) Empire and the Western Türks during the 6th century A.D. – Silk Road geopolitics
Since the 550s, following the collapse of the Rouran Empire (in Chinese characters 柔然, pronounced róu rán), the Türks (in Chinese characters突厥, pronounced tūjué), a nomadic people, came to prominence (552 AD) to the north of China, then further, after defeating the Hephthalite Empire (in Chinese characters 嚈哒, pronounced yàndā), fast becoming a highly influential military power in the middle section of the Silk Road network. Continue reading “Eastern Roman (‘Byzantine’) Empire and the Western Türks during the 6th century A.D. – Silk Road geopolitics”
Eastern Roman (‘Byzantine’) and Sasanian commercial relations with N-E Russia
The history of the steppes of southern Russia has been viewed as a series of invasions of nomads from the east who displaced their predecessors, either annihilating them, absorbing them, or forcing them to move westward. Continue reading “Eastern Roman (‘Byzantine’) and Sasanian commercial relations with N-E Russia”
Novo Scriptorium 