Procopius on Soldiers and Military Institutions in the Sixth-Century Roman Empire

Erscheinungsjahr 2021
ISBN: 978-90-04-38044-8
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 134, 300 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 646 g

Reihe: History of Warfare

In Procopius on Soldiers and Military Institutions in the Sixth-Century Roman Empire, Conor Whately examines Procopius’ coverage of rank-and-file soldiers in his three works, the Wars, Buildings, and Secret History. By evaluating his accounts alongside other comparative evidence, such as the edicts of Anastasius, legislation from the Codex Justinianus, and various papyri, Whately reveals the limitations to Procopius’ work, especially when it comes to frontier soldiers. However, this study also shows the impact of Procopius’ experiences with institutional matters such as unit structures on his writing, and the particular value he brings to our understanding of recruitment in the sixth century CE.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Whately, Conor

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Militärgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Vor- und Frühgeschichte, prähistorische Archäologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface IX

List of Tables XII

Introduction: Writing about War in the Sixth Century

1 Procopius and War in the Sixth Century

2 From Generals to Soldiers

3 The Classicizing Straitjacket

4 Methodology

5 Book Organization

1 Generals and Soldiers

1 Introduction

2 Generals vs. Soldiers

3 Conclusion

4 Tables

2 Tracking Sixth-Century Soldiers

1 Introduction

2 Procopius’ Authority

3 Procopius’ Sources

4 Case Study: Looking for Documents at Dara

5 Conclusion

3 Catalogues and Legions

1 Introduction

2 Terminology

3 Procopius’ Regiments

4 Why Catalogues? The Wars of Generals

5 Conclusion

6 Tables

4 Soldiers in the Field

1 Introduction

2 Comitatenses

3 Foederati, Symmachoi, and Bucellarii

4 Horse Archers

5 Conclusion

6 Tables

5 Limitanei in the Age of Justinian

1 Introduction

2 Procopius on the End of the Limitanei in the Secret History

3 Rome’s Frontier Soldiers across the Empire in the Sixth Century

4 Case Study: The Limitanei in the Southeast

5 Conclusion

6 Recruitment

1 Introduction

2 Procopius on Recruitment

3 Demographics

4 Conclusion

Conclusion 225

Appendix: Soldiers in Procopius’ Wars, Buildings, and Secret History

Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Conor Whately, Ph.D. (2009), University of Winnipeg, is Associate Professor of Classics. He has published several articles, chapters, and books on war, historiography, and frontiers in the ancient and Byzantine worlds including Battles and Generals (Brill, 2016) and An Introduction to the Roman Military (Wiley, 2020).