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Procopius on Soldiers and Military Institutions in the Sixth-Century Roman Empire
Series: - History of Warfare, Volume: 134
Author:
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.
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).
'Das Buch bildet insgesamt einen exzellenten philologisch-historischen Kommentar, der die Grenzen der klassischen Historiographie als Quelle für die Rekonstruktion der Struktur der römischen Armee im 6. Jahrhundert präzise markiert. Zusammenfassend darf manfeststellen, dass das Buch von Conor Whately eine höchst gelungene, kenntnisreich geschriebene Studie darstellt, welche die Rolle der Werke Prokops als Quelle für die Erforschung derspätrömischen Armee überzeugend bewertet. Mit diesem Buch bekommt die moderne Forschung eine wertvolle Studie, die darauf verweist, dass die klassische Historiographie ein höchst selektives Bild der spätantiken Armee zeichnet und zahlreiche wichtige, insbesondere strukturelle Aspektenicht beachtet. Whately hat auch deutlich gezeigt, dass die einfachen Soldaten in Prokops Werken keine bedeutende Rolle spielen, aber das verwundert nicht, weil sich die klassische Historiographie für die Generaleund andere bedeutende Persönlichkeiten interessiert, und nicht für die gewöhnlichen Menschen.' Dariusz Brodka, in The Byzantine Review, 04.2022.001. Read the full review here.
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
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
All those interested in Procopius, the age of Justinian, and war and frontiers in the Roman, late antique, and Byzantine worlds.