What attracts you to Late Rome?

[inkstain]

I confess I've been entertaining myself by drafting a three-novel adventure series set during the years of the Donatist/Circumcellion turmoil in Roman Numidia, the Magnentius revolt, and the Gallus-Constantius II years. Just finishing Vol. II now and moving on to the final installment in a few months' time. Each book runs about 325 pages and I'm shooting for a Bernard Cornwall feel.

I have absolutely loved this project, delving as deeply as I can into the attitudes of people caught up in the mid 340's to mid 350's. Pace the realization of the massive losses incurred by the civil massacre at Mursa, I don't think these participants had much idea of what was coming, e.g. Adrianople, or the Goths crossing the Rhine in decades' time.

My sources have been good ol' A.Marcellinus, Zonaras and Zozimus. I've also enjoyed seeing what Heather, Gibbon and Princeton's Brent Shaw have done with the issues my characters contend with. I've had certain problems with ascertaining unit size and ranks in the mid-4th century army, that's for sure. I've been using Goldsworthy and MacDowall as much as they talk about this period. Sometimes it's just not clear what applies and what doesn't.

Thanks for a great site.