DOCSLIB.ORG

Wells on Dewing, 'The Wars of Justinian'

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Wells on Dewing, 'The Wars of Justinian' H-War Wells on Dewing, 'The Wars of Justinian' Review published on Sunday, March 5, 2017 H. B. Dewing, trans. The Wars of Justinian. Revised and modernized, with an introduction and notes, by Anthony Kaldellis. Indianopolis: Hacket Publishing, 2014. 680 pp. $29.00 (paper), ISBN 978-1-62466-172-3. Reviewed by Nathan D. Wells (Quincy College) Published on H-War (March, 2017) Commissioned by Margaret Sankey Historians, whether professionally trained or amateur, who strive to learn about a civilization and its leaders often rely on sources that were close to those who determined seminal events. By this standard Prokopius of Caesarea is certainly among the more important chroniclers of history. Serving during the reign of the emperor Justinian as legal advisor to the Byzantine general Belisarius, Prokopius accompanied him on campaigns both in the Near East against the Persians and in Italy against the Goths. While his The Wars of Justinian and The Buildings of Justinian are remarkable for the volume of detailed writing over a relatively short span of time, Prokopius is also chiefly remembered for his scandalous Secret History documenting the relationship between Justinian and the empress Theodora. Just as his emperor Justinian is remembered as possibly the last Roman emperor (or the first Byzantine one), Prokopius is possibly the last great historian of antiquity. While H. B. Dewing’s translation of The Wars of Justinian has been available for nearly a century, this is a new translation by Anthony Kaldellis. The emperor Justinian spent much of his thirty-eight years on the throne engaged in wars, both foreign and domestic. These military campaigns were waged in both the east and west as Justinian attempted to secure existing borders and reclaim part of the old empire. Just as successful generals like Belisarius and Narses enjoyed imperial patronage, so too did chroniclers like Prokopius and Agathias. The Wars of Justinian is divided into eight books, or sections. The first seven were most likely compiled and published together; the eighth and final book was added perhaps a decade later. The first two books deal with the conflict between the Romans and Sassanid Persia and describe the campaigns of the Sasanian shah Kavadh I, the "Nika" revolt in Constantinople in 532, the war by Kavadh's successor, Khosrau I, in 540, and his assault of and destruction of Antioch. The great plague that devastated Constantinople in 542 is also covered here. The early career of Belisarius is covered in some detail. This is unsurprising, given that Belisarius was a patron of Prokopius, and would see service against the Persians. The next two books, theVandal War, cover Belisarius's campaign against the Vandal kingdom in North Africa. The remaining three volumes comprise The Gothic War, the campaigns by Belisarius and others to recapture Italy, then under the rule of the Ostrogoths. The eighth and final book covers 552/553, when a Roman army led by Narses finally destroyed the Ostrogothic kingdom. This eighth book covers campaigns both in Italy and on the eastern frontier. This review is not so much of Prokopius’s work, but rather that of Kaldellis. I used the Dewing translation as source material for my graduate work on the Roman/Byzantine military of the sixth and seventh centuries. It was a solid translation and proved quite useful. Why the new translation, then? Kaldellis released an updated translation of Prokopius'sSecret History in 2010, and the fact that many events are covered in both volumes seems as good an incentive as any. While the general view Citation: H-Net Reviews. Wells on Dewing, 'The Wars of Justinian'. H-War. 03-05-2017. https://networks.h-net.org/node/12840/reviews/170002/wells-dewing-wars-justinian Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-War is that Secret History was most likely a farcical account meant only for the eyes of Prokopius's close friends, that both were written by the same author, with the same mindset, means that these two volumes and Prokopius's Buildings of Justinian should be treated as a boxed set of sorts. Kaldellis's translation of the Secret History was well received, and so should be his Wars of Justinian. This is a fine volume overall, but there are some criticisms. While Prokopius is often regarded as the last great historian of antiquity, his successors Agathias and Menander Protector were in many ways as important. Edward Gibbon famously considered Agathias "a poet and rhetorician" whereas Procopius was "a statesman and soldier," but this oversimplifies things. The later historians described the end of Justinian’s reign, as well as how Emperor Justin II would try to maintain the enlarged, yet vulnerable empire. Both should get more than a passing comment in the notes. The more glaring issue is that despite the inclusion of several maps covering the Roman and Persian worlds, several of the events described occur in locations not shown on these maps. Tracking Belisarius or Narses often required an atlas. All criticisms aside, however, I would certainly recommend the book to anyone interested in Roman, Byzantine or military history. Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=45641 Citation: Nathan D. Wells. Review of Dewing, H. B., trans.,The Wars of Justinian. H-War, H-Net Reviews. March, 2017. URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=45641 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Citation: H-Net Reviews. Wells on Dewing, 'The Wars of Justinian'. H-War. 03-05-2017. https://networks.h-net.org/node/12840/reviews/170002/wells-dewing-wars-justinian Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gerhard Müller. Die Römische Kurie Und Die Reformation 1523–1534
    Modern Europe AVERIL CAMERON. Agathias. New York: Oxford MODERN EUROPE University Press. 1970. Pp. ix, 168. $5.50. GERHARD MULLER. Die romische Kurie und die Agathias, a poet, anthologist, and practicing Reformation I523-I534: Kirche und Politik lawyer, wrote a continuation of Procopius, wiihrend des Pontifikates Clemens' VII. (Quel­ len und Forschungen zur Reformationsge­ relating the wars of Justinian from 552 to schichte, Number 38.) [Gutersloh:] Gutersloher 559. He is one of the few secular historians Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn. 1969. Pp. 307. DM 45. of the early Byzantine period whose work survives in full; and although we might well In attempting to comprehend the actions of prefer the accidents of preservation to have Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/76/3/767/94214 by guest on 30 September 2021 Pope Clement VII, even Charles v's memoirs spared Eunapius, Priscus, or Menander in­ express the exasperation: "God knows why stead, Agathias is of uncontestable value not the Pope acted thus." Divine understanding only as a source of data but also as a repre­ aside, Gerhard Muller's historical under­ sentative of the literary tradition in which he standing of Clement's politics does omit very wrote. revealing evidence as to the pope's rationale. It is particularly from the latter standpoint Contarini, "the Venetian More," put an ar­ that Mrs. Cameron has studied him, for, as gument before Clement as regards the latter's she insists, Agathias prized the literary qual­ choice of seeking the particular good of the ity of his work at least as highly as its veracity.
    [Show full text]
  • Jordanes and the Invention of Roman-Gothic History Dissertation
    Empire of Hope and Tragedy: Jordanes and the Invention of Roman-Gothic History Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Brian Swain Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Timothy Gregory, Co-advisor Anthony Kaldellis Kristina Sessa, Co-advisor Copyright by Brian Swain 2014 Abstract This dissertation explores the intersection of political and ethnic conflict during the emperor Justinian’s wars of reconquest through the figure and texts of Jordanes, the earliest barbarian voice to survive antiquity. Jordanes was ethnically Gothic - and yet he also claimed a Roman identity. Writing from Constantinople in 551, he penned two Latin histories on the Gothic and Roman pasts respectively. Crucially, Jordanes wrote while Goths and Romans clashed in the imperial war to reclaim the Italian homeland that had been under Gothic rule since 493. That a Roman Goth wrote about Goths while Rome was at war with Goths is significant and has no analogue in the ancient record. I argue that it was precisely this conflict which prompted Jordanes’ historical inquiry. Jordanes, though, has long been considered a mere copyist, and seldom treated as an historian with ideas of his own. And the few scholars who have treated Jordanes as an original author have dampened the significance of his Gothicness by arguing that barbarian ethnicities were evanescent and subsumed by the gravity of a Roman political identity. They hold that Jordanes was simply a Roman who can tell us only about Roman things, and supported the Roman emperor in his war against the Goths.
    [Show full text]
  • Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae, Volume 15
    Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae, Volume 15, Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae, Volume 15, , Barthold Georg Niebuhr, Nicetas Choniates, GeÅrgios AkropolitÄ“s, Agathias, IÅannÄ“s AnagnÅstÄ“s, Anastasius (bibliothecarius), Anastasius (the Librarian), Joannes Cameniata, Joannes Cananus, Laonikos ChalkokondylÄ“s, IÅannÄ“s Kinnamos, Joannes Zonaras, George Codinus, Anna Comnena, Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (Emperor of the East), Flavius Cresconius Corippus, Dexippus (the Platonist.), Doukas, Ephraim (ho chronographos), Eunapius, GeÅrgios PhrantzÄ“s, George (the Pisidian.), GeÅrgios (Synkellos), Nicephorus Gregoras, Hierocles (Grammarian.), Joannes Cantacuzenus (Emperor of the East), Johannes Laurentius Lydus, Michael Glykas, John Malalas, Joannes Scylitzes, Leo (the Deacon), Leo (Grammaticus.), Malchus (Philadelphensis.), Constantine Manasses, Menander (Protector), Flavius Merobaudes, MichaÄ“l AttaleiatÄ“s, Saint Nicephorus (Patriarch of Constantinople.), George Pachymeres, Paulus Silentiarius, Petrus Patricus, Procopius, Theophylactus Simocatta, Symeon (Metaphrastes), Theophanes (the Confessor), Zosimus, 1831, impensis E. Weberi, 1831 download file here: http://projecttn.org/.aXsylwd.pdf Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae, History, ISBN:1115482092, 2009, Barthold Georg Niebuhr, This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections, 600 pages Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae, 600 pages, History, ISBN:1115482084, 2009, This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections, Barthold Georg Niebuhr Of Tours, IV, 5 p. 489; Paul the Deacon (Historia Longobardorum, IV Agathias, p. 107;Theophanes Chronographia (Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae), year 5048, âœmaximo vero puerorum, mortalitas Title That earlier plague Journal Demography Volume 5, Issue 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Menander Protector, Fragments 6.1-3
    Menander Protector, Fragments 6.1-3 Sasanika Sources History of Menander the Guardsman (Menander Protector) was written at the end of the sixth century CE by a minor official of the Roman/Byzantine court. The original text is in Greek, but has survived only in a fragmentary form, quoted in compilations and other historical writings. The author, Menander, was a native of Constantinople, seemingly from a lowly class and initially himself not worthy of note. In a significant introductory passage, he courageously admits to having undertaken the writing of his History (’ st a) as a way of becoming more respectable and forging himself a career. He certainly was a contemporary and probably an acquaintance of the historian Theophylact Simocatta and worked within the same court of Emperor Maurice. His title of “Protector” seems to suggest a military position, but most scholars suspect that this was only an honorary title without any real responsibilities. Menander’s history claims to continue the work of Agathias and so starts from the date that Agathias left off, namely AD 557. His style of presentation, if not his actual writing style, are thus influenced by Agathias, although he seems much less partial than the former in presentation of the events. He seems to have had access to imperial archives and reports and consequently presents us with a seemingly accurate version of the events, although at time he might be exaggerating some of his facts. The following is R. C. Blockley’s English translation of the fragments 6.1-3 of Menander Protector’s History, which deals directly with the Sasanian-Roman peace treaty of 562 and provides us with much information about the details of negotiations that took place around this treaty.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Write History: Thucydides and Herodotus in the Ancient Rhetorical Tradition
    How to write history: Thucydides and Herodotus in the ancient rhetorical tradition A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Scott Kennedy, B.A., B.S. Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee: Anthony Kaldellis, Adviser Benjamin Acosta-Hughes Will Batstone Copyright by Scott Kennedy 2018 Abstract Modern students of Thucydides and Herodotus may find it odd to think of them as rhetoricians. Yet in the ancient world, both historians (and especially Thucydides) played an important role in rhetorical schools. They were among the favorite authors of ancient teachers of rhetoric and served as foundational pillars of the ancient curriculum, providing themes for school exercises and even for such seminal texts as Hermogenes' theoretical treatises on rhetoric. Modern scholars might never read technical rhetorical texts such as Hermogenes. They almost certainly would never turn to Hermogenes and his kind to help them understand Thucydides or Herodotus. But for our ancient intellectual predecessors, such an approach would have been unconscionable, as ancient rhetoric was the theoretical lens with which they understood and appreciated historical writings. In this dissertation, I explore the confluence of rhetoric and historiography in the ancient world through an examination of how Herodotus and Thucydides were used in ancient schools and then by later historians. Chapter 1 and 2 outline how these historians were embedded and encoded within the rhetorical curriculum. In Chapter 1, I examine how Herodotus and Thucydides entered the rhetorical curriculum and how rhetors incorporated them into the rhetorical curriculum through an examination of the surviving progymnasmata, scholia, and pedagogical myths.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geopolitics on the Silk Road
    109 The Geopolitics on the Silk Road: Resurveying the Relationship of the Western Türks with Byzantium through Their Diplomatic Communications Li Qiang, Stefanos Kordosis* The geopolitics pertaining to the Silk Road network in the period from the 6th to the 7th cen- tury (the final, albeit important, period of Late Antiquity) was intertwined with highly strate- gic dimensions.1 The frequent arrival of hoards of nomadic peoples from inner Eurasia at the borders of the existing sedentary empires and their encounters and interactions formed the complicated political ecology of the period. These empires attempted to take advantage of the newly shaped situation arising after such great movements strategically, each in their own interest. How did they achieve their goals and what problems were they confronted with? In this paper, I will focus on the relations the Western Türks had with Byzantium and use it as an example in order to resurvey these complicated geopolitics. In the first part, attention will be given to the collection of Byzantine literature concerning the Western Türks. Then, on the basis of the sources, the four main exchanges of delegations between the Western Türks and Byzantium will be discussed, in which the important status of the 563 embassy – as it was the first Türk delegation sent to Byzantium – will be emphasized. The possible motives behind the dispatch of the delegations and the repercussions they had will be presented. Finally, through reviewing the diplomatic communication between the Western Türks and Byzantium, attention will be turned to the general picture of geopolitics along the Silk Road, claiming that the great empire of the West – similar to today’s superpowers – by means of their resources (mainly diplomacy) manipulated the geopolitics on the Silk Road, especially the nomadic people pursuing their own survival and interests, who were only treated as piec- es on a chessboard for keeping the balance with the rest of the superpowers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Andreios Eunuch-Commander Narses: Sign of a Decoupling of Martial Virtues and Masculinity in the Early Byzantine Empire?
    The Andreios Eunuch-Commander Narses: Sign of a Decoupling of Martial Virtues and Masculinity in the Early Byzantine Empire? Michael Edward Stewart University of Queensland Abstract: This paper looks at the place of the sixth-century Byzantine general Narses (c. 480–573) in the history of Byzantine gender. Certainly, it has always been important for ancient and modern historians to emphasise Narses’ eunuchism. Indeed, for many modern scholars, Narses’ identity as a castrate has been more important for study than his military deeds and political achievements that proved ephemeral. For some, the presence of a eunuch in such an essential military role indicates a turning away from codes of generalship based on traditional martial courage and manliness. This paper questions such a view, suggesting that Byzantium had a much more flexible notion of eunuchs’ gender status than some recent scholarship allows. Indeed, it suggests that Narses fits into a continuing hegemony of traditional masculine values based on the supremacy of Byzantine men’s martial virtues The sixth-century Byzantine general Narses (c. 480–573) has long earned historians’ respect.1 He deserves this acclaim since his major victories over the Goths in 552 and versus the Franks and Alamanni in 554 helped to secure the Emperor Justinian I’s (ruled 527–565) retaking of Italy from the Goths after an arduous nineteen-year struggle.2 So too did Narses perform admirably for twelve years in his role as prefect 1 Michael Edward Stewart, ‘The Andreios Eunuch Commander Narses’ of Italy. Of course, it has always been important to emphasise that Narses was a eunuch.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded for Personal Non‐Commercial Research Or Study, Without Prior Permission Or Charge
    Malevitas, Isias (2015) The formation of Byzantine views on Muslims during the 'Dark Century' (ca. 650‐ca.750). PhD thesis. SOAS University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29809 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. THE FORMATION OF BYZANTINE VIEWS ON MUSLIMS DURING THE ‘DARK CENTURY’ (ca. 650-ca. 750) ILIAS MALEVITIS Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2015 Department of History SOAS, University of London 2 Abstract Byzantine-Muslim relations have long attracted the interest of scholars, mainly through the study of political-military events and polemic-theological attitudes. Recently, with the growth of interest in the rise of Islam and its place in the Late Antique Mediterranean world and culture, academic discussions have started to pay attention to a variety of issues and broaden their perspectives through inter-disciplinary approaches and ideas. The aim of this study is to discuss Byzantine views about the Muslims and the impact that the rise of Islam had upon the formation of these views in Christian thought (in the Byzantine and Middle Eastern areas), during the Byzantine ‘dark century’ (beginning of 7th c.-ca.
    [Show full text]
  • The Works and Days of Hesychios the Illoustrios of Miletos Anthony Kaldellis
    The Works and Days of Hesychios the Illoustrios of Miletos Anthony Kaldellis HERE WAS A TIME when the problems surrounding the works of Hesychios of Miletos1 could engage even the T attention of the young Friedrich Nietzsche, involved as he was in Quellenforschung regarding the ancient and Byzantine biographical notices.2 Yet despite the 1851 publication by K. Müller of Hesychios’ fragments, no one has yet examined the sum of the evidence regarding his life and work. One may even notice a retrenchment since the nineteenth century: K. Krum- bacher’s entry on Hesychios among the Byzantine historians (1897) finds no counterpart in H. Hunger’s updated survey of Byzantine scholarship (1978).3 Yet Hesychios does appear with some frequency in modern discussions, sometimes as a pagan, other times as a Christian, sometimes placed under Anastasios, other times under Justin II and Maurice. It is time to remedy this neglect, for the figure that emerges is in fact highly interest- ing and we owe to him more than most historians realize. The primary goal of this paper will be to examine all our evidence for the life and works of Hesychios and draw some preliminary conclusions regarding their dates and contents. At the end we will return to the (largely independent) question of Hesychios’ 1 This article attempts to lay the groundwork for a complete translation and historical commentary on the fragments of Hesychios to be published in Brill’s New Jacoby (Ian Worthington, ed.). The interested reader should also consult the chapter on Hesychios in W. Treadgold’s forthcoming study The Lives and Works of the Early Byzantine Historians, whose conclusions differ from mine on important points.
    [Show full text]
  • Agathias on History and Poetry Kaldellis, Anthony Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Fall 1997; 38, 3; Proquest Pg
    Agathias on history and poetry Kaldellis, Anthony Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Fall 1997; 38, 3; ProQuest pg. 295 Agathias on History and Poetry Anthony Kaldellis HE STUDY OF BYZANTINE HISTORIOGRAPHY has entered a phase of transformative debate, from which it will in­ ~ evitably emerge with broadened intellectual horizons and an enriched understanding of its own aims and methods. The exclusive interest of past scholars in factual reliability, closely connected to the search for 'sources', or Quellenforschung, is gradually making room for the wider appreciation of Byzantine histories as works of literature and original thought, which possess value independently of the accuracy or veracity of their narratives.1 This shift of focus represents a partial emancipation from the traditional concerns of political history, and yet has thankfully been spared the inane extremes of postmodernist theory. It is hoped that future works of synthesis will em­ phasize the unique virtues and vices of each historian in his dual capacity as author and scholar, as well as the more philosophical aspects of his work. 2 A number of Byzantine historians, in­ cluding Agathias, are now emerging as subtle and imaginative authors, capable, in a manner almost worthy of Herodotus, of constructing highly nuanced images in the course of their 1 See in general the debate in J. N. Ljubarskij et at., "Quellenforschung and/ or Literary Criticism: Narrative Structures in Byzantine Historical Writings," SymbOsto 73 (1998) 5-73. 2 In his magisterial survey of Byzantine
    [Show full text]
  • The Romans Demilitarised: the Evidence of Procopius
    The Romans Demilitarised: The Evidence of Procopius J. Η. Wolf G. Liebeschuetz The classical Romans had a powerful sense of the meaning of Roman citizenship and the obligations it imposed on the men privileged to utter the proud boast: civis Romanus sum.1 Of these perhaps the most important was readiness to fight, and if necessary to die for the res publica. It was this aspect of the Roman char­ acter which made it possible in time of war to call up for service in the army an extraordinarily high proportion of available manpower, and to raise the vast armies and to replace the very heavy losses of the Hannibalic war.2 Subse­ quently the same qualities won the Roman Empire. In time the Romans granted their citizenship to more and more of the sub­ jects of the Empire until in 212 AD the emperor Caracalla issued the Constitutio Antoniniana which conferred Roman citizenship on all inhabitants of the empire (except the dediticii).3 The expansion of Roman citizenship was however paral­ leled by a progressive demilitarisation of the core provinces of the Empire. Un­ der the emperors fighting ceased to be a duty of the citizens and the Empire came to be defended by professional soldiers, who had been recruited in frontier provinces, if they were not the sons of veterans.4 The development stretched over centuries, but the outcome was that when the existence of the Empire came to be at risk in the late fourth and early fifth century its defence was entirely in the hands of mercenaries, some natives of the Empire, others recruited among barbarians, settled within the Empire or even outside its frontiers.5 The citizen- soldier could not be brought back, not even in the face of the most frightening danger.
    [Show full text]
  • Scythia As Reflected by Iordanes (Jordanes): a Scene from the Sixth Century
    Tarih İncelemeleri Dergisi XXXV / 1, 2020, 297-332 DOI: 10.18513/egetid.770004 SCYTHIA AS REFLECTED BY IORDANES (JORDANES): A SCENE FROM THE SIXTH CENTURY Abdullah ÜSTÜN** Abstract This study focuses on Scythia, Iordanes’ Scythia, as depicted in his work entitled Getica. The first question of the study is how Iordanes saw Scythia. Although his records about physical geography are discussed here, the main focus will be on his descriptions of human geography/ethnography. In his human geography narratives, emphasis will be on Eastern Scythia tribes such as the Huns and the Bulgars which have been less emphasized in the previous studies. The second question of the study is where Scythia is according to Iordanes. Therefore, the way that Iordanes positions Scythia will be discussed in order to gain insight into his perception of Scythia. These processes will be included comparisons with Iordanes' other work Romana and other texts written before him and or by his contemporaries. In this way, the examination is expected to contribute to our understanding of Iordanes’ text and the geographical and the historical knowledge in the sixth century. Keywords: Iordanes (Jordanes), Getica, Scythia, Huns, Bulgars, Acatziri, Historical geography. Öz Iordanes’in Gözünden Scythia: Altıncı Yüzyıldan Bir Sahne Bu çalışma Iordanes’in Getica adlı eserinde tasvir ettiği Scythia’yı, Iordanes’in Scythia’sını konu edinmektedir. Çalışmanın ilk sorusu, Iordanes’in nazarında Scythia’nın nasıl bir yer olduğudur. Burada fiziki coğrafya hakkındaki kayıtları ele alınmakla birlikte asıl ilgi beşerî coğrafya, etnografya tasvirlerinde olacaktır. Beşerî coğrafya anlatıları içinde, araştırmalarda daha az üzerinde durulan, Hun, Bulgar gibi Doğu Scythia kabileleri daha ön planda tutulacaktır.
    [Show full text]