Discovering Rome's Eastern Frontier
Discovering Rome's Eastern Frontier

Author: Timothy Bruce Mitford

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-11-30

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 0192655353

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The eastern frontier of the Roman Empire extended from northern Syria to the western Caucasus, across a remote and desolate region 800 miles from the Aegean. It followed the great Euphrates valley to penetrate the harsh mountains of Armenia Minor and south of the Black Sea, along the Pontic coast to the finally reach the foothills of the Caucasus. Though vast, this terrain has long remained one of the great gaps in our knowledge of the ancient world, barely visited and effectively unknown — until now. Here, Timothy Bruce Mitford offers an account of half a century of research and exploration over sensitive territory, in challenging conditions, to discover the material remains of Rome's last unexplored frontier. The geographical framework introduces frontier installations as they occur: fortresses and forts, roads, bridges, signalling stations, and navigation of the Euphrates. The journey is enriched with observations of consuls and travellers, memories of Turkish and Kurdish villagers, and notes and photographs of a way of life little changed since antiquity. The process of discovery was mainly on foot; staying in villages with local guides, following ancient tracks, and conversing with great numbers of people - provincial and district governors, village elders and teachers, police and jandarma, farmers and shepherds, and everyone in between. This came with its perils and pleasures; encounters with treasure hunters and apparent bandits, tales of saints and caravans, arrests and death threats, bears and wild boars, rafts and fishing, earthquakes, all amid the tumultuous events of the second half of the twentieth century. Richly illustrated with large-scale maps, photographs, and sketches, this is an account of travel and discovery, set against a background of a disappearing world encountered in the long process of academic exploration.

Satellite and Archaeological Reconnaissance in the Ṭūr ’Abdīn, Turkey
Satellite and Archaeological Reconnaissance in the Ṭūr ’Abdīn, Turkey

Author: Kenneth Silver

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2024-04-18

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1803277130

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Presents results from the Finnish-Swedish Archaeological Project in Mesopotamia (FSAPM) pilot study of Tūr Abdin, Turkey. Aiming to record and document sites in this endangered area to save its cultural heritage, the sites consist of fortified remains in an ancient border zone between the Graeco-Roman/Byzantine world and Parthia/Persia.

Historical texts on the Roman military camp (300 BC–AD 500)
Historical texts on the Roman military camp (300 BC–AD 500)

Author: Víctor Lluís Pérez Garcia

Publisher: Edicions Excalibur

Published: 2019-09-09

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 8417793062

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The secrets of the Roman field fortifications unveiled. A comprehensible introduction with all the existing ancient texts translated into English. This book presents a compilation of four fragments written by different authors who lived in Roman times: Hyginus (1st–2nd century AD), Polybius (2nd century BC), Vegetius (4th century AD) and Flavius Josephus (1st century AD). Besides the modern English translation, it also provides two didactical synthesis on the topic: a brief summary of the Greco-Roman authors and works that inform us about ancient military science, and a concise introductory study on the Roman military camp based on historical and archaeological sources. The author, Dr. Víctor Lluís Pérez Garcia, is a history teacher, archaeology researcher and orientalist, expert in poliorcetics and polemology. ● Genre: military history, Roman archaeology, classical literature ● Illustrations: high-resolution plans and maps (black and white) ● Publisher: Edicions Excalibur (Tarragona, 2019) ● ISBN: 978-84-17793-04-3 (kindle) ● ISBN: 978-84-17793-05-0 (paperback) ● ISBN: 978-84-17793-06-7 (pdf) ● ISBN: 978-84-17793-07-4 (epub)

Ancient Fortifications
Ancient Fortifications

Author: Silke Muth

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2016-04-30

Total Pages: 553

ISBN-13: 1785701401

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Dedicated to the investigation of fortifications as important and integral elements of ancient built space, the present volume results from the activity of the German based international research network Fokus Fortifikation. Ancient Fortifications in the Eastern Mediterranean and is intended as a guide to research on ancient fortifications and a source of inspiration for new research. Ancient city walls and other fortification structures have long been underestimated. Since the early years of the 21st century, research on ancient fortifications has experienced an international boom, particularly amongst young researchers. They approached the study of fortifications with fresh ideas and new aims, and felt the need to discuss the problems and potentials of these monuments and to develop harmonized research methods and objectives. The outcome is the present bilingual (English and German) book, which offers a condensed view of the network’s extended conversations. The goal is not so much to offer an overview on the development of ancient fortifications, but rather to present versatile and diverse approaches to their research and interpretation and to serve as a kickoff for a new understanding of this category of ancient buildings. The book is divided into two parts: the first part includes 12 chapters on methods of interpretation, documentation, and field project organization; the systematic description and presentation of fortifications; the ‘building experience’; masonry forms and techniques; defensive, symbolic, and urbanistic functions and aspects; on fortifications in written sources, the visual arts, and as a historical source; and on regional and rural fortifications, and regionally confined phenomena. Part two is a catalogue that offers exemplary presentations of fortifications studied by network members; it is arranged in four sections: regions, sites, architectural elements and architectural details. The book is Volume 1 in the new series Fokus Fortifikation Studies. Volume 2 in the series, Focus on Fortification: New Research on Fortifications in the Ancient Mediterranean and the Near East (Oxbow Books), the proceedings of an international conference held in Athens in December 2012, will also appear in 2015.

The Roman Army and the Expansion of the Gospel
The Roman Army and the Expansion of the Gospel

Author: Alexander Kyrychenko

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2014-01-31

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 3110347261

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Although Roman centurions appear at crucial stages in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the significance of the centurion’s office for the development of Luke’s story has not been adequately researched. To fill in that void, this study engages the relevant Greco-Roman and Jewish sources that reflect on the image of the Roman military and applies the findings to the analysis of the role of the Roman centurion in the narrative of Luke-Acts. It argues that contemporary evidence reveals a common perception of the Roman centurion as a principal representative of the Roman imperial power, and that Luke-Acts employs centurions in the role of prototypical Gentile believers in anticipation of the Christian mission to the Empire. Chapter 1 outlines the current state of the question. Chapter 2 surveys the background data, including the place of the centurion in the Roman military organization, the role of the Roman army as the basis of the ruling power, the army’s function in the life of the civilian community, Luke’s military terminology, and the Roman military regiments in Luke-Acts. Chapter 3 reviews Greco-Roman writings, including Polybius, Julius Caesar, Sallust, Livy, Velleius Paterculus, Tacitus, Appian, Cornelius Nepos, Plutarch, Suetonius, Plautus, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Petronius, Quintilian, Epictetus, Juvenal, Fronto, Apuleius, as well as non-literary evidence. Chapter 4 engages the Jewish witnesses, including 1 Maccabees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmudic sources, and non-literary sources. Chapter 5 examines the relevant accounts of Luke-Acts, focusing on Luke 7:1–10 and Acts 10:1–11:18. The Conclusion reviews the findings of the study and summarizes the results.

A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East
A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East

Author: Ted Kaizer

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2022-01-06

Total Pages: 580

ISBN-13: 1444339826

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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.

The Oxford Handbook of Palmyra
The Oxford Handbook of Palmyra

Author: Rubina Raja

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2024

Total Pages: 633

ISBN-13: 0190858117

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With contributions from thirty archaeologists, epigraphists, historians, and philologists, this book covers Palmyra's archaeological remains and history from its earliest phases in the pre-Roman era to the destruction of many of its monuments during the Syrian Civil War and subsequent looting. The authors give comprehensive overviews of already published evidence, as well as significant new findings and analyses from fieldwork, and cover a broad range of themes, which not only relate to the archaeology and history of the site, but also to its relationship with the rest of the ancient world as a major trade hub during the Roman period.