Download or read book Ancient Arms Race Antiquity s Largest Fortresses and Sasanian Military Networks of Northern Iran written by Eberhard Sauer and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2023-02-16 with total page 1426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Which ancient army boasted the largest fortifications, and how did the competitive build-up of military capabilities shape world history? Few realise that imperial Rome had a serious competitor in Late Antiquity. Late Roman legionary bases, normally no larger than 5ha, were dwarfed by Sasanian fortresses, often covering 40ha, sometimes even 125-175ha. The latter did not necessarily house permanent garrisons but sheltered large armies temporarily – perhaps numbering 10-50,000 men each. Even Roman camps and fortresses of the Early and High Empire did not reach the dimensions of their later Persian counterparts. The longest fort-lined wall of the late antique world was also Persian. Persia built up, between the fourth and sixth centuries AD, the most massive military infrastructure of any ancient or medieval Near Eastern empire – if not the ancient and medieval world. Much of the known defensive network was directed against Persia’s powerful neighbours in the north rather than the west. This may reflect differences in archaeological visibility more than troop numbers. Urban garrisons in the Romano-Persian frontier zone are much harder to identify than vast geometric compounds in marginal northern lands. Recent excavations in Iran have enabled us to precision-date two of the largest fortresses of Southwest Asia, both larger than any in the Roman world. Excavations in a Gorgan Wall fort have shed much new light on frontier life, and we have unearthed a massive bridge nearby. A sonar survey has traced the terminal of the Tammisheh Wall, now submerged under the waters of the Caspian Sea. Further work has focused on a vast city and settlements in the hinterland. Persia’s Imperial Power, our previous project, had already shed much light on the Great Wall of Gorgan, but it was our recent fieldwork that has thrown the sheer magnitude of Sasanian military infrastructure into sharp relief.
Download or read book Sir Aurel Stein s Limes Report Part II written by Shelagh Gregory and published by BAR International Series. This book was released on 1985-12-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is part of a two volume set: ISBN 9781407358642 (Volume I); ISBN 9781407358659 (Volume II); ISBN 9780860543497 (Volume set).
Download or read book Remote Sensing for Archaeology and Cultural Landscapes written by Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-07 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates the added value that satellite technologies and remote sensing could provide for a more sustainable mapping, monitoring and management of heritage sites, be it for purposes of regular maintenance or for risk mitigation in case of natural or man-caused hazards. One of the major goals of this book is to provide a clear overview on policy perspectives, regarding both space policy as well as heritage policy, and to provide possible suggestions for common ground of these two fields, in Europe and around the world. Readers will develop a good understanding of cutting-edge applications of remote sensing and geographic information science, and the challenges that affect heritage maintenance and protection. Particular attention is given to Earth observation and remote sensing techniques applied in different locations. This book brings together innovative technologies, concrete applications and policy perspectives that can lead to a more complete vision of cultural heritage as a resource for future development of our society as a whole.
Download or read book Between Rome and Persia written by Peter Edwell and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-12 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This detailed history of Rome’s relationship with its Persian neighbour from Peter Edwell takes an innovative regional approach and covers the period from the first century BC to the third century AD.
Download or read book The Frontiers of the Roman Empire written by David Breeze and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2011-12-13 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Practically all new information on the greatest empire of all and how it controlled and policed its frontiers. Absolutely fascinating!”—Books Monthly At its height, the Roman Empire was the greatest empire yet seen with borders stretching from the rain-swept highlands of Scotland in the north to the sun-scorched Nubian desert in the south. But how were the vast and varied stretches of frontier defined and defended? Many of Rome’s frontier defenses have been the subject of detailed and ongoing study and scholarship. Three frontier zones are now UNESCO World Heritage sites (the Antonine Wall having recently been granted this status—the author led the bid), and there is growing interest in their study. This wide-ranging survey will describe the varying frontier systems, describing the extant remains, methods and materials of construction and highlighting the differences between various frontiers. Professor Breeze considers how the frontiers worked, discussing this in relation to the organization and structure of the Roman army, and also their impact on civilian life along the empire’s borders. He then reconsiders the question of whether the frontiers were the product of an overarching Empire-wide grand strategy, questioning Luttwak’s seminal hypothesis. This is a detailed and wide-ranging study of the frontier systems of the Roman Empire by a leading expert. Intended for the general reader, it is sure also to be of great value for academics and students in this field. The appendixes will include a brief guide to visiting the sites today. “The result of this book-crafting care and Breeze’s erudition is a near-perfect example of specialized military history done for a popular audience.” —Open Letters Monthly
Download or read book Information and Frontiers written by A. D. Lee and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2006-11-02 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with an important facet of late Roman history which has not received systematic treatment.
Download or read book The Roman Imperial Army of the First and Second Centuries A D written by Graham Webster and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This classic work of scholarship scrutinizes all aspects of Roman military forces throughout the Roman Empire, in Europe, North Africa, and the Near and Middle East. Graham Webster describes the Roman army’s composition, frontier systems, camps and forts, activities in the field (including battle tactics, signaling, and medical services), and peacetime duties, as well as the army’s overall influence in the Empire. First published in 1969, the work is corrected and expanded in this third edition, which includes new information from excavations and the finding of contemporary scholars. Hugh Elton provides an introduction surveying scholarship on the Roman army since the last edition of 1985.
Download or read book Life and Loyalty written by Klaas Dijkstra and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2015-09-01 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The formula 'for the life of' is often found in votive inscriptions, cast in Aramaic and other languages, which originate from the Syrian-Mesopotamian desert and adjacent areas and which roughly date from the first three centuries A.D. They belong to objects like statues and altars that usually were erected in temples and other structures with a ritual or sacred function. The inscriptions establish a relationship between the dedicator and one or more beneficiaries, those persons for whose life the dedication was made. Since the social context evidently bears on both the meaning of the inscriptions as well as the status of the dedications, this volume deals with the nature of the relationships and the socio-religious function the dedications perform.
Download or read book To the Madbar and Back Again written by Laïla Nehmé and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-11-20 with total page 758 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael C.A. Macdonald is one of the great names of Arabian Studies. He pioneered the field of Ancient North Arabian and made invaluable contributions to the history of Arabia and the nomads of the Near East, their languages, and their scripts. This volume gathers thirty-two innovative contributions from leading scholars in the field to honor the career of Michael C.A. Macdonald, covering the languages and scripts of ancient Arabia, their history and archaeology, the Hellenistic Near East, and the modern dialects and languages of Arabia. The book is an essential part of the library of any who study the Near East, its languages and its cultures.
Download or read book A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East written by Ted Kaizer and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2022-01-06 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary handbook exploring several sub-regions and key themes perfect for a new generation of students A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East delivers the first complete handbook in the area of Hellenistic and Roman Near Eastern history. The book is divided into sections dealing with interdisciplinary source material, each with a great deal of regional variety and engaging with several key themes. It integrates discussions of the classical Near East with the typical undergraduate teaching syllabus in the Anglo-Saxon world. All contributors in this edited volume are leading scholars in their field, with a combination of established researchers and academics, and emerging voices. Contributors hail from countries across several continents, and work in various disciplines, including Ancient History, Archaeology, Art History, Epigraphy, Numismatics, and Oriental Studies. In addition to furthering the integration of the Levantine lands in the classical periods into the teaching canon, the book offers readers: The first comprehensively structured Companion and edited handbook on the Hellenistic and Roman Near East Extensive regional and sub-regional variety in the cross-disciplinary source material A way to compensate for the recent destruction of monuments in the region and the new generation of researchers’ inability to examine these historical stages in person An integration of the study of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East with traditional undergraduate teaching syllabi in the Anglo-Saxon world Perfect for undergraduate history and classics students studying the Near East, A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East will also earn a place in the libraries of graduate students and scholars working within Near Eastern studies, as well as interested members of the public with a passion for history.
Download or read book Ernst Herzfeld and the Development of Near Eastern Studies 1900 1950 written by Ann Gunter and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2005-02-01 with total page 654 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As archaeologist, philologist, and historian, German scholar Ernst Herzfeld (1879–1948) significantly shaped the study of the prehistoric to Islamic Near East. His life and work are reassessed and situated within decisive developments in research and politics in the 20th century, providing new insights into the historiography of the Near East.
Download or read book Rome s Eastern Trade written by Gary K. Young and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-10-04 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The spectacular ruins of such places as Palmyra and Petra bear witness to the wealth and power which could be derived from the silks, spices and incense of the east. Such goods were highly prized in the Roman Empire, and merchants were ready to face the perils of deserts, oceans, warfare and piracy to meet the demand for their wares. But exactly how did the trade in luxury goods operate, and to whose benefit? Gary K. Young's study offers unprecedented coverage of the major trading regions of Egypt, Arabia, Palmyra, and Syria, with detailed analysis of the routes used and of the roles of all the participants. He looks closely at the influence of the commerce in eastern goods both on the policy of the Roman imperial government, and upon local communities in the East itself. His findings contradict the standard view that the imperial government had a strong political interest in the eastern trade; rather its primary concern was the tax income the trade brought in. He also demonstrates the need for greater recognition of the efforts made by local authorities to exploit the trade to their own advantage. Incorporating the considerable archaeological research that has been undertaken in recent years, this comprehensive survey provides fresh insight into an important aspect of the eastern Roman Empire.
Download or read book The Cambridge Ancient History written by Alan K. Bowman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1982 with total page 1252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Cambridge Ancient History written by Averil Cameron and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2001-03-29 with total page 1190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume 14 concludes the new edition of The Cambridge Ancient History.
Download or read book Levant written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Geography Urbanisation and Settlement Patterns in the Roman Near East written by Henry Innes MacAdam and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-01 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title was first published in 2002: This volume focuses on the Roman provinces of Syria and Arabia, above all the lands now within Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. The first articles look at questions of geography, cartography and toponymy, particularly in Strabo, Pliny and Ptolemy. The following sections are concerned with settlement patterns and urban development in the region. In the Roman and early Byzantine periods, the inland areas underwent a gradual transformation, from a semi-sedentary, lightly populated and predominantly rural region, to one of large cities and a network of prosperous, socially sophisticated villages, linked by a network of roads. That change is documented by a wealth of epigraphy from both the urban communities and their outlying settlements (the subject of several articles). By the 4th century, too, Christianity had become the dominant religion and remained such until the arrival of Islam.
Download or read book Settlement and Soldiers in the Roman Near East written by David Kennedy and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-10-28 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Roman Near East has been a source of fascination and exasperation - an immense area, a rich archaeological heritage as well as documents in several local languages, a region with a great depth of urbanisation and development ... yet relatively neglected by modern researchers and difficult to work on and in. Local archaeologists are often under-funded and the Roman period viewed as an earlier phase of western colonialism. Happily, the immense surge in archaeological and historical research on the Roman period everywhere has included the Roman Near East and there have been significant academic developments. This collection of studies on the Roman Near East represents Professor Kennedy’s academic assessment of the region, which began with his doctoral thesis on the contribution of Syria to the Roman army. Although the thesis was never published, several articles owe their genesis to work done then or soon after and are included here (VI, VII, IX, XII). Initial visits to military sites in Syria and Jordan swiftly brought out the presence in many cases of associated civil settlements and - though often now gone, the traces of ancient field systems. Hence, the two prominent sub-themes in this collection are the Roman military and various aspects of society and settlement - settlement types, farming, logistical underpinning and communications.
