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Never under the hands of dogs - Roman heroic deeds
#1
Maybe its mostly fiction, but I always liked stories of heroic deeds like duells and such in roman sources. About decay of late roman morale and fighting spirit I found it interesting that theres a hell of heroic deeds in late antiquity too.<br>
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One favourite is Procopius story about John in 468:<br>
"But there were also some of the Romans who proved themselves brave men in this struggle, and most of all John, who was a general under Basiliscus and who had no share whatever in his treason. For a great throng having surrounded his ship, he stood on the deck, and turning from side to side kept killing very great numbers of the enemy from there, and when he perceived that the ship was being captured, he leaped with his whole equipment of arms from the deck into the sea. And though Genzon, the son of Gaiseric, entreated him earnestly not to do this, offering pledges and holding out promises of safety, he nevertheless threw himself into the sea, uttering this one word, that John would never come under the hands of dogs."<br>
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Or Flavius Areobindus, comes foederatorum, against Ardasanes, one of the Persian generals in 422. According to John Malalas, Areobindus avoided the opponents lance, catched the Persian with a lassoe and dragged him off his horse.<br>
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Or the gothic rex and roman officer Sarus, who in 413 opposed the whole gothic army of Athaulf, some thousands of men, with only 18 or 20 buccellarii (Olymp. and Agathias). <p></p><i></i>
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