DOCSLIB.ORG

Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department Of

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of History TOWARDS THE END OF AN EMPIRE: ROME IN THE WEST AND ATTILA (425-455 AD) Tunç Türel Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2016 TOWARDS THE END OF AN EMPIRE: ROME IN THE WEST AND ATTILA (425-455 AD) Tunç Türel Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of History Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2016 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study would have been impossible to finish without the support of my family. Therefore, I give my deepest thanks and love to my mother, without whose warnings my eyesight would have no doubt deteriorated irrevocably due to extensive periods of reading and writing; to my sister, who always knew how to cheer me up when I felt most distressed; to my father, who did not refrain his support even though there are thousands of km between us and to Rita, whose memory still continues to live in my heart. As this thesis was written in Ankara (Ancyra) between August-November 2016, I also must offer my gratitudes to this once Roman city, for its idyllic park “Seğmenler” and its trees and birds offered their much needed comfort when I struggled with making sense of fragmentary late antique chronicles and for it also houses the British Institute at Ankara, of which invaluable library helped me find some books that I was unable to find anywhere else in Ankara. I also thank all members of www.romanarmytalk.com, as I have learned much from their discussions and Gabe Moss from Ancient World Mapping Center for giving me permission to use two beautifully drawn maps in my work. Finally, I thank my Egeria, Selda Güner, for her endless support at all the stages of my thesis. Her efforts and guidance have much illuminated my path and helped me finish my work on time. iv ABSTRACT Türel, Tunç. Towards the end of an Empire: Rome in the West and Attila (425-455 AD) Master’s Thesis, Ankara, 2016. In this thesis I argue, with the help of primary sources, archaeology, prosopography and philology, that the Western Roman Empire during the reign of Valentinian III (425-455) did not suffer its gravest catastrophe due to Attila and his Huns, but owing to the fall of its grain and tax basket Carthage in 439, which came to dictate every policy of the Roman court after it occurred. In fact, the Huns had been essential in the campaigns of Flavius Aetius, the most able general of Valentinian III and also the effective ruler of the West until his assassination at the hands of his emperor in 454. Aetius was twice able to assert his dominance over the last representative of the Theodosian dynasty in the West by the aid of Hunnic auxiliaries and without their assistance, neither Aetius’ ascension nor his campaigns would have been realized. When Attila ceased to send further warriors to aid Aetius in 439, this came to be his most detrimental decision for the Western Romans, for they depended on the Hunnic federates (foederati) to undertake campaigns, while the soldiers of the regular Roman army became either garrison forces or expensive to maintain when contrasted with the rather cheaply employed foederati. Although Attila’s western campaigns of 451 and 452 were successfully checked, as long as Carthage remained outside of the imperial control, there was no hope for the Western Romans to successfully recover from the setbacks of the 5th century. In this age, the Huns and Attila, who developed a symbiotic relationship with Germanic peoples, were nothing more than a nuisance for the Western Romans due to their grand incursions that aimed at nothing but Roman riches, and therefore their tie with the Western Romans can only be described as a parasitic relationship. Key Words Western Roman Empire, Aetius, Huns, Attila, Late Antiquity v ÖZET TÜREL, Tunç. Bir İmparatorluğun Sonuna Doğru: Batı Roma ve Attila (İ.S. 425-455), Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Ankara, 2016. Bu çalışmada, birincil yazılı kaynaklar, arkeoloji, prosopografi ve filolojinin yardımıyla, imparator III. Valentinianus dönemindeki (İ.S. 425-455) Batı Roma İmparatorluğu’nun en büyük darbeyi Attila ve Hunlar tarafından değil, ekonomisinin omurgasını oluşturan Kuzey Afrika şehri Kartaca’nın 439 yılındaki kaybı dolayısıyla aldığı tartışılmaktadır. Bu tarihten sonra Batı Roma’nın tüm politikalarına bu kayıp yön vermiştir. Hunlar ise daha ziyade, III. Valentinianus’un en kabiliyetli generali ve 454 yılında imparatorun kendi eliyle düzenleyeceği suikasta kadar imparatorluğun gerçek yöneticisi olan Flavius Aetius’un düzenlediği askeri seferlerde önemli rol oynamıştır. Aetius, Hun askeri birlikleri sayesinde Theodosius hanedanının batıdaki son temsilcisi üzerinde iki defa iktidarını kurabilmeyi başarabilmiştir. Eğer Hun yardımı olmasaydı, Aetius’un ne bu yükselişi ne de askeri operasyonları gerçekleşmiş olurdu. Attila’nın Batı Roma’ya en büyük zararı, 439 yılında Aetius’a daha fazla Hun askeri (foederati) yollamama kararı almasıyla olmuştur. Bu Batı Roma için çok önemliydi, çünkü Batı Roma askeri seferleri için Hunlara ihtiyaç duyuyordu. Kendi ordusunun düzenli askeri birlikleri ise ya garnizon birliklerine dönüşmüş ya da silah altında tutulmaları imparatorluk için, özellikle de foederati birliklerinin oldukça ucuza gelmeleri göz önüne alındığında, ağır bir yük olmuştu. Attila’nın 451 ve 452 yıllarındaki batı seferleri her ne kadar başarılı bir şekilde geri püskürtülmüş olsa da, Kartaca imparatorluk kontrolü dışında kaldığı sürece, Batı Roma için 5. yüzyılda yaşadığı kayıpları tersine çevirebilmek için hiçbir umut yoktu. Bu dönem içerisinde, Cermen halklarıyla simbiyotik bir ilişki geliştiren Hunlar ve Attila, Batı Romalılar için, onların mal varlıklarını gasp etmekten başka bir şey amaçlamayan saldırılarıyla can sıkıcı bir asayiş ve güvenlik meselesinden öte bir şey olmamış ve bu yüzden de Romalılarla konak-parazit ilişkisinden öte bir ilişki geliştirememiştir. Anahtar Sözcükler Batı Roma İmparatorluğu, Aetius, Hunlar, Attila, Geç Antikçağ vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL……………………………………………….….i DECLARATION…………………………………………………………………....…ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………..………………………………………..….....iii ABSTRACT ..…………………………………………………………………….........iv TURKISH ABSTRACT …………..…………………………………………………..v TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………….……………………......vi ABBREVIATIONS …………………………………………………………………....x MAPS……………………………………………………...…..………………………xv FIGURES….............………………..……………………………………..…..….......xvi INTRODUCTION………………………………………………...……………………1 A CONSIDERATION OF PRIMARY SOURCES…………………………….…….6 1. Ammianus Marcellinus……………………………………………………...7 2. Priscus………………………………………………………………………...8 3. Jordanes………………………………………………………………………9 4. Olympiodorus……………………………………………………………….11 5. Prosper of Aquitaine…………………….………………………………….11 6. Gregory of Tours…………………….……………………………………..12 7. Other Sources……………………………………………………………….13 vii CHAPTER 1: THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE BEFORE THE AGE OF AETIUS…….……….………………………………………………………...……….16 1.1. THE EMPIRE OF HONORIUS (395-423)…………………………….18 1.2. THE GOTHIC SETTLEMENT OF 417/8 AND CONSTANTIUS III.26 CHAPTER 2: THE HUNS BEFORE ATTILA……………………………….…….30 2.1. THE SEEDS AND THE ORIGINS…………………………………...…30 2.2. THE SAVAGE HUN MYTH AND THE ROMAN PERCEPTION OF BARBARIANS…………………………………………………………………...……35 2.3. FEATURES OF NOMADIC SOCIETIES AND THE HUNS……...….36 2.4. HUNNIC WARFARE……………..………………………………….…..42 2.5 THE ADVENT OF THE HUNS……………………………….…………46 2.6. THE FIRST CONTACT WITH THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE……………………………………………………………………….48 2.7. THE CAUCASIAN RAID OF 395……………………………...……….52 2.8. THE HUNS NORTH OF THE DANUBE………………….………..53 2.9. THE HUNS IN THE GREAT HUNGARIAN PLAIN…………………55 CHAPTER 3: THE AGE OF AETIUS………………………………………………58 3.1. THE CIVIL WARS………………………………………………………58 3.1.1. An Emperor, a Usurper and the Huns……………………………58 3.1.2. The Empire of Valentinian III……………………………...…….63 3.1.3. The King of the Vandals and Alans……………………………...67 3.1.4. The Master of the Soldiers and the Master of Africa…………….70 3.2. THE MASTER OF THE WEST…………………………………….…..77 viii 3.2.1. The Fall of Carthage……………………………………………..83 3.2.2. The Reflections of the Fall of Carthage………………………….89 3.2.3. The Barbarians in Gaul…………………………………………..91 3.2.4. The Western Roman Army of Aetius: Neither Roman nor an Army……………………………………………………………………93 3.3. THE MASTER OF THE NORTH………………...…………………….99 3.3.1. Rua and Octar…………………………………………..….…….99 3.3.2. The Peace of Margus and the Hunnic Empire………………….101 3.3.3. The Hunnic Raids of 441 and 447……………………………...106 3.3.4. Peace on the Danube, Distress on the Rhine……………………110 CHAPTER 4: THE WHOLE NORTH INTO GAUL……………………………..116 4.1. THE LONGEST DAY: THE BATTLE OF THE CATALAUNIAN PLAINS (JUNE 20, 451)……………………………………………………..122 4.2. THE OUTCOME AND THE AFTERMATH…………………………127 CHAPTER 5: ACROSS THE ALPS……………………………………………….132 CHAPTER 6: PERSONAE NON GRATAE……………………………………….137 6.1. THE DEATH OF ATTILA……………………………………………..137 6.2. THE MURDERS OF AETIUS AND VALENTINIAN III……………139 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………144 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………..……………..147 APPENDIX1. MAPS……………………………………………………….………..158 APPENDIX2. FIGURES..………………………………………………….……….160 ix APPENDIX3. ETHICS BOARD WAIVER FORM………………….……………163 APPENDIX4. ETİK KURUL İZİN MUAFİYET FORMU…………………….…164 APPENDIX5. ORIGINALITY REPORT……….……………………...………….165 APPENDIX6. ORİJİNALLİK RAPORU…………………………………………..166 x ABBREVIATIONS As most classical texts and authors have standart abbreviations, listed in the abbreviations list of Oxford Classical Dictionary, this thesis has also chosen to employ them. Below can be found all the primary sources that I have used in this study, both in abbreviated and in open form,
Recommended publications
  • The Politics of Roman Memory in the Age of Justinian DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the D

    The Politics of Roman Memory in the Age of Justinian DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the D

    The Politics of Roman Memory in the Age of Justinian DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Marion Woodrow Kruse, III Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Anthony Kaldellis, Advisor; Benjamin Acosta-Hughes; Nathan Rosenstein Copyright by Marion Woodrow Kruse, III 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the use of Roman historical memory from the late fifth century through the middle of the sixth century AD. The collapse of Roman government in the western Roman empire in the late fifth century inspired a crisis of identity and political messaging in the eastern Roman empire of the same period. I argue that the Romans of the eastern empire, in particular those who lived in Constantinople and worked in or around the imperial administration, responded to the challenge posed by the loss of Rome by rewriting the history of the Roman empire. The new historical narratives that arose during this period were initially concerned with Roman identity and fixated on urban space (in particular the cities of Rome and Constantinople) and Roman mythistory. By the sixth century, however, the debate over Roman history had begun to infuse all levels of Roman political discourse and became a major component of the emperor Justinian’s imperial messaging and propaganda, especially in his Novels. The imperial history proposed by the Novels was aggressivley challenged by other writers of the period, creating a clear historical and political conflict over the role and import of Roman history as a model or justification for Roman politics in the sixth century.
  • Contribution of Greece to the Victory of the Allies During Ww Ii

    Contribution of Greece to the Victory of the Allies During Ww Ii

    CONTRIBUTION OF GREECE TO THE VICTORY OF THE ALLIES DURING WW II Lt Colonel of Engineering Panayiotis Spyropoulos Historian of the History Directorate of Hellenic Army General Staff The peninsula of Greece has, since antiquity, been a point of confrontation be- tween East and West, as it constitutes an area of utmost strategic value, situated on the flanks of the main axis of operations in East-West direction and vice-versa. Who- ever occupies Greece can effortlessly with his forces harass the flanks or even the rear of troops operating along the aforementioned axis, control the sea line of com- munication from Gibraltar to Suez, and block from the west the sea route from the Black Sea to Propontis (Marmara) Sea, the Hellespont (Straits), the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The geo-strategic value of Greece has been dramatically enhanced during the XXth century, due to the rapid technological development of war equipment (as per the quote of sir Halford Mackinder on the «Heartland»). During the 2nd World War, Italy launched the attack against Greece, without informing its ally, Germany. Berlin was enraged by the Italian action and considered it «totally incoherent» and mistimed, because it was initiated just before wintertime, a season unsuitable for mountain operations, as well as just before the elections in the (still neutral) USA, providing Roosevelt with even more convincing arguments for go- ing to war. Moreover, it criticised the Italians refraining from any seaborne operation, a fact that facilitated the British in debarking on Crete and other islands, significant for their strategic importance; while they left them the margin to deploy in Thessalo- nica.
  • Hunnic Warfare in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries C.E.: Archery and the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire

    Hunnic Warfare in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries C.E.: Archery and the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire

    HUNNIC WARFARE IN THE FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES C.E.: ARCHERY AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE A Thesis Submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Science. TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, Canada © Copyright by Laura E. Fyfe 2016 Anthropology M.A. Graduate Program January 2017 ABSTRACT Hunnic Warfare in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries C.E.: Archery and the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire Laura E. Fyfe The Huns are one of the most misunderstood and mythologized barbarian invaders encountered by the Roman Empire. They were described by their contemporaries as savage nomadic warriors with superior archery skills, and it is this image that has been written into the history of the fall of the Western Roman Empire and influenced studies of Late Antiquity through countless generations of scholarship. This study examines evidence of Hunnic archery, questions the acceptance and significance of the “Hunnic archer” image, and situates Hunnic archery within the context of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. To achieve a more accurate picture of the importance of archery in Hunnic warfare and society, this study undertakes a mortuary analysis of burial sites associated with the Huns in Europe, a tactical and logistical study of mounted archery and Late Roman and Hunnic military engagements, and an analysis of the primary and secondary literature. Keywords: Archer, Archery, Army, Arrow, Barbarian, Bow, Burial Assemblages, Byzantine, Collapse, Composite Bow, Frontier, Hun, Logistics, Migration Period, Roman, Roman Empire, Tactics, Weapons Graves ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr.
  • The Rhetoric of Corruption in Late Antiquity

    The Rhetoric of Corruption in Late Antiquity

    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE The Rhetoric of Corruption in Late Antiquity A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics by Tim W. Watson June 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Michele R. Salzman, Chairperson Dr. Harold A. Drake Dr. Thomas N. Sizgorich Copyright by Tim W. Watson 2010 The Dissertation of Tim W. Watson is approved: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In accordance with that filial piety so central to the epistolary persona of Q. Aurelius Symmachus, I would like to thank first and foremost my parents, Lee and Virginia Watson, without whom there would be quite literally nothing, followed closely by my grandmother, Virginia Galbraith, whose support both emotionally and financially has been invaluable. Within the academy, my greatest debt is naturally to my advisor, Michele Salzman, a doctissima patrona of infinite patience and firm guidance, to whom I came with the mind of a child and departed with the intellect of an adult. Hal Drake I owe for his kind words, his critical eye, and his welcome humor. In Tom Sizgorich I found a friend and colleague whose friendship did not diminish even after he assumed his additional role as mentor. Outside the field, I owe a special debt to Dale Kent, who ushered me through my beginning quarter of graduate school with great encouragement and first stirred my fascination with patronage. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to the two organizations who have funded the years of my study, the Department of History at the University of California, Riverside and the Department of Classics at the University of California, Irvine.
  • Reshaping East Roman Diplomacy with Barbarians During the 5Th Century

    Reshaping East Roman Diplomacy with Barbarians During the 5Th Century

    Chapter 1 From Hegemony to Negotiation: Reshaping East Roman Diplomacy with Barbarians during the 5th Century Audrey Becker Introduction During the first half of the 4th century ad, thanks to their military power, the Romans had been giving the barbarian tribes bordering the Danube and the Rhine no choice but to accept the conclusion of deditio after losing the war, leav- ing them in a very humiliating position.1 Yet, the military and political events of the second half of the 4th century ad, and even more of the 5th century ad, led the Romans to reconsider their relationship with the barbarian tribes.2 The characteristics of diplomatic relationship changed even before the defeat at Andrinople in 378, because the barbarian tribes, in the middle of the 4th cen- tury, gradually became able to restore the balance of power, leading the Eastern Roman Empire to reconsider its relations with its barbarian neighbours. This compelled the Byzantine Empire, from the end of the 4th century onward, to take into account barbarian leaders or kings who became, at that time, real dip- lomatic actors playing, of necessity, with formal rules of diplomatic protocol to 1 For instance, Constantinus with the Sarmatians in 323: Zosimus, Historia Nova 2.21.3, ed.Paschoud (Paris, 2000), p. 92; Julian in 358 with the Alemanni kings Suomarius and Hor- tarius: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 17.10.3, ed. Sabbah (Paris, 1989), p. 64; Ammianus Marcellinus 17.10.9, p. 66; Constantius ii, in 358 as well, with the kings of the Sarmatians and Quadi: Ammianus Marcellinus 17.12.9–16, pp.
  • 037 690305 the Trans

    037 690305 the Trans

    Horld ElstorY >#9 h. Eoeb Hednesday P.t{. lEE TnAtrSIfIOnAt KII{GDUSs VAI{DI,LS' HEiltLI' OSIBT0ES lfter the Roam defeat bf tbe Vlaigoths at 441b,gs tn t8, rp bart the cqo- uautng eto:y of the collapse of tbe Rccdr &pfre ps fo:nd e pag€ 134 fn t+g"r. Stlllcho rt tll3 bottm of tb3 flrst col:uor rp dlscswr tbat tbe @ercr Bcrorlu a (9*t&3) rypolntect Ure VErSgl Stlllplro es Easter of tbe troops. Eere nas a sltaratlcn rbera a Uerlgqls EA ffid ofE-tbe nttltary forceel It rns not just tbat tbs C'€ina,s ;ffi-:y lrr charge of Ee rrall alorg tbe RhJ.ne, hrt,gon me of tbeo le tn obarge of tbe Rmm arry fneiae tbp r.ratl! Itrs ltke tbe cansLto nose under tbe tmt. far see litt&e ty ltttte rbat is bappentng I Golng to colu.m tvo: trr 406 Cauf. ras ,qP.rnm by Vmdals srd other trlltBs. dgpqf:re-of fn Lgt'51o tberc vas @ lccc'ed evaoratlor € Brltafg.-the..cglete t& troq>J- dates rnay:Er@g$E- sore sdrcAsErt f thl$k tbls is tbe elgplslg dg!g- for tho purposef\r1 evasusticn of the ls1ad. lnd then ln lueust of /+oB Sbilfpl*r l€g Elgl*g at Fcrelusr cdsrt ttt€ @ere did no[ tnrEt brs rnlrrtary c@EQs r.nre Just not golng rtght fcr tie fupire. Rm Sacked I relgn llotlce next that tbe @eror Theodoslus. erperor ll th9 9eg! $o b€99 -hie i" 4OS; ;i"*ua tbe earllest' colleffilf existLne lgggr tbe-lieodoela CodE.; l&eD yan_bave a good rJ"i6W bas to 16rltlply,-fi c1assl$r -md cod,l.$ none-art none latr, "tafc"trcn tbat socLety breatcnp'0gg, due to lncreased ccrlos srd Laltless:eegt lbea people ar€ Uun"":irg tb€r'selvee teet'e ls no need for a lot of lane.
  • Black Sea-Caspian Steppe: Natural Conditions 20 1.1 the Great Steppe

    Black Sea-Caspian Steppe: Natural Conditions 20 1.1 the Great Steppe

    The Pechenegs: Nomads in the Political and Cultural Landscape of Medieval Europe East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450 General Editors Florin Curta and Dušan Zupka volume 74 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ecee The Pechenegs: Nomads in the Political and Cultural Landscape of Medieval Europe By Aleksander Paroń Translated by Thomas Anessi LEIDEN | BOSTON This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided no alterations are made and the original author(s) and source are credited. Further information and the complete license text can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The terms of the CC license apply only to the original material. The use of material from other sources (indicated by a reference) such as diagrams, illustrations, photos and text samples may require further permission from the respective copyright holder. Publication of the presented monograph has been subsidized by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education within the National Programme for the Development of Humanities, Modul Universalia 2.1. Research grant no. 0046/NPRH/H21/84/2017. National Programme for the Development of Humanities Cover illustration: Pechenegs slaughter prince Sviatoslav Igorevich and his “Scythians”. The Madrid manuscript of the Synopsis of Histories by John Skylitzes. Miniature 445, 175r, top. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Proofreading by Philip E. Steele The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available online at http://catalog.loc.gov LC record available at http://catalog.loc.gov/2021015848 Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”.
  • The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 6 [1776]

    The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 6 [1776]

    The Online Library of Liberty A Project Of Liberty Fund, Inc. Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 6 [1776] The Online Library Of Liberty This E-Book (PDF format) is published by Liberty Fund, Inc., a private, non-profit, educational foundation established in 1960 to encourage study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. 2010 was the 50th anniversary year of the founding of Liberty Fund. It is part of the Online Library of Liberty web site http://oll.libertyfund.org, which was established in 2004 in order to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. To find out more about the author or title, to use the site's powerful search engine, to see other titles in other formats (HTML, facsimile PDF), or to make use of the hundreds of essays, educational aids, and study guides, please visit the OLL web site. This title is also part of the Portable Library of Liberty DVD which contains over 1,000 books and quotes about liberty and power, and is available free of charge upon request. The cuneiform inscription that appears in the logo and serves as a design element in all Liberty Fund books and web sites is the earliest-known written appearance of the word “freedom” (amagi), or “liberty.” It is taken from a clay document written about 2300 B.C. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash, in present day Iraq. To find out more about Liberty Fund, Inc., or the Online Library of Liberty Project, please contact the Director at [email protected].
  • Massimo Melli Blog

    Massimo Melli Blog

    Massimo Melli The refugee "And you will go wandering from sea to sea." Amos: 8, 12 This story is dedicated to all those who emigrated because of the war Prologue This is not an autobiography ( I don’t think I am a person important enough to merit one), but a memorial written in self-defense to be presented to those who will ask me on the Day of Judgment. This memorial explains how I became a Kabbalist. Everything I've written is the truth: the names of the people are their real names, place names are their real geographical names, historical events are those documented by distinguished researchers and historians, and my thoughts are my original thoughts, although often clouded by ignorance, also a gift from God. The name of my cat is his real name. Sometimes I may have invented something to make the story more interesting, but rarely have I misrepresented the facts. My inventions were only for the sake of literary style and to avoid to bore the reader. No one forces me to write these pages, except my sense of justice. The story is divided into three chapters, each of which is one and three at the same time ( they are entangled, if you know what I mean ). Each chapter has a quote from the Bible or a philosophical one written in self- defense so that it is clear my question that I will present to the Judge: the written word remains “et verba volant ”. My witnesses are all dead, then the judge or will have to trust me or ask them, in the hereafter, to confirm what I write.
  • Chapter 1 Barbarian Agency and Imperial Withdrawal: the Causes And

    Chapter 1 Barbarian Agency and Imperial Withdrawal: the Causes And

    Chapter 1 Barbarian agency and imperial withdrawal: the causes and consequences of political change in fourth- and fifth-century Trier and Cologne Introduction Snapshots from the years 310, 410, and 510 reveal that the political landscape of the Rhineland changed almost beyond recognition over the course of three centuries. In 310 AD, Trier was one of the foremost cities of the Roman Empire, acting as a main residence of the Emperor Constantine and the seat of the Gallic praetorian prefecture. In Cologne, meanwhile, the completion of the fortress of Divitia just across the Rhine reinforced the city’s significance in the context of imperial defensive strategy. By 410 AD, however, both the imperial residence and the praetorian prefecture had been removed from Trier, and many frontier troops who had been stationed near Cologne were gone. The Rhineland had suffered an apparently devastating barbarian invasion, that of the Vandals, Alans, and Sueves in 406, and was to face many more attacks in the coming half-century. After the invasion, the legitimate emperors were never to re- establish their firm control in the region, and the reign of the usurper Constantine III (407 - 411) marked the last period of effective imperial rule. Around 510 AD, the last vestiges of imperial political power had vanished, and both Trier and Cologne were part of the Frankish kingdom of Clovis. The speed and extent of this change must have dramatically affected many aspects of life within the cities, and, as such, it is crucial that we seek to understand what brought it about. In so doing, we must consider the fundamental question of whether responsibility for the collapse of imperial power in the Rhineland ultimately lies with the imperial authorities themselves, who withdrew from the region, or with the 11 various barbarian groups, who launched attacks on the frontier provinces and undermined the Empire’s control.
  • The Art of War in the Middle Ages, A.D. 378-1515

    The Art of War in the Middle Ages, A.D. 378-1515

    Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/artofwarinmiddleOOomanuoft otl^xan: ^rt§e ^ssag 1884 THE ART OF WAR IN THE MIDDLE AGES PRINTED BY HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY THE ART OF WAR [N THE MIDDLE AGES A.D. 37^—15^5 BY C. W. C. OMAN, B.A. FELLOW OF ALL SOULS COLLEGE WITH MAPS AND PLANS OXFORD B. H. BLACKWELL, 50 BROAD STREET LONDON T. FISHER UNWIN, 26 PATERNOSTER SQUARE 1885 [^// rights reserved '\ O/M The Author desires to acknowledge much kind help received in the revision and correction of this Essay from the Rev. H. B. George, of New College, and Mr. F. York Powell, of Christ Church. 6/ 37 05 , — — CONTENTS. PAGE ' Introduction . i CHAPTER 1. The Transition from Roman to Medieval forms in War (a.d. 378-582). Disappearance of the Legion.—Constantine's reorgajiization. The German tribes . — Battle of Adrianople.—Theodosius accepts its teaching.—Vegetius and the army at the end of the fourth century. —The Goths and the Huns. Army of the Eastern Empire.— Cavalry all-important . 3— 14 CHAPTER n. The Early Middle Ages (a.d. 476-1066). Paucity of Data for the period.—The Franks in the sixth cen- tury.—Battle of Tours.—^Armies of Charles the Great. The Franks become horsemen.—The Northman and the Magyar.—Rise of Feudalism.—The Anglo-Saxons and their wars.—The Danes and the Fyrd.—Military importance of the Thegnhood.—The House-Carles.—Battle of Hastings . Battle of Durazzo 15 — 27 W — VI CONTENTS.
  • NHB Regional Bowl a Round #7

    NHB Regional Bowl a Round #7

    NHB Regional Bowl A Round 7 First Quarter 1. Charlie Poole played this instrument in his group “The North Carolina Rambers.” Earl Scruggs played this for Bill Monroe's group, and after leaving Monroe wrote “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” a famously difficult piece to play with this instrument. For 10 points, name this string instrument often paired with a fiddle in bluegrass and country music. ANSWER: banjo 121-11-38-07101 2. This man was criticized for calling the Afghanistan conflict a “war of Obama’s choosing.” This man was replaced by Wisconsin politician Reince Priebus, despite promising to be “off the hook” and to bring his party into more “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.” For 10 points, name this chair of the RNC from 2009 to 2011. ANSWER: Michael Steele 015-11-38-07102 3. The cabinet of this President included his predecessor’s third Attorney General, Charles Lee. This President appointed Benjamin Stoddert as head of the newly created Department of the Navy. This man ran with Thomas Pinckney in one election, but ended up with Thomas Jefferson as his Vice President. For 10 points, name this successor to George Washington. ANSWER: John Adams 005-11-38-07103 4. An argument over this activity caused the Spanish to destroy the English fleet led by John Hawkins at Vera Cruz. The Zong Massacre and William Wilberforce helped lead Britain to abolish this practice in 1808. One part of this activity involved the Middle Passage. For 10 points, name this trade of human beings across the Atlantic for goods such as sugar.