03-03-2014, 04:51 PM
Quote:When a state ceases to exist, and the Roman state ceased to exist even earlier than 476, also its military machine ends.
SOURCES, I'm asking here only for sources, it's not that complex, if you have sources backing your thesis you can state what your sources allow you to state, but if there is not any source, (because the Byzantine writer Procopius is not a source he is a story teller and he never saw any Roman Unit in Northern Europe) how can you state a so strong statement about the survival of Roman Military Traditions in Northern Gaul (the most Germanized area of the whole kingdom!)? Is this another form of wishful thinking? ... is there such a large difference between a dream and this form of wishful thinking? Or here, are we talking of History and Archaeology? Are we talking of sources and finds or are we pushing our private dreams about Northern Romans in a dreamworld made of Saxons & Franks carrying Roman Banners and clad in Roman uniforms and probably also talking Latin?
Because if this is the case, if here we are talking of personal beliefs or individual dreams, REMEMBER BOYS: The first here who try to say that the Leather Musculata was not largely used in the Late Roman Army will be crucified as heretic and traitor!
Well in that case those who believe Julian was murdered by Christian Romans, as suggested by Libanius who was not on campaign with Julian, are believers of fantasy as well then eh?.
Sometimes we only have the words to go on and Procopius may have had access to source material that no longer exists, much as we know Zosimus did when he wrote his history.
In an ideal world it would of course be wonderful if there were some archaeology to back up the claims made by Procopius, but just because there absence of proof does not mean this is proof of absence.
Adrian Coombs-Hoar
