08-26-2023, 02:08 PM
Glad you've posted your impressions here (and not on FB!). I recently read it also (mainly for the appendix on Adrianople) and found it persuasive. I do find the evidence cited does seem to back up the authors' conclusions and that, in turn, argues for a more nuanced re-examination of the military and economic backgrounds of the both the eastern and western halves of the empire in the 4th and 5th centuries.
My criticism is more about my own lack of the larger academic background here and that fact that (as far as I can determine) their argument remains heavily dependant upon the military history of the period and rarely seems to net in larger areas of concern to substantiate their insights. To a degree, then, the thesis remains somewhat insular and lacks a wider economic and administrative scope. Again, that is not to highlight errors in the thesis - merely to indicate a broader lack of context which may or may not support the thesis.
The more I read it the more I felt both authors were bringing up stringent and pointed concerns. Their conclusions were convincing for me but I am not aware of any academics wading in or indeed even challenging it at the moment so wonder on its impact.
I have a pdf copy but am sorely tempted to purchase a hard copy so it can sit on my bookshelf. That should tell you all you need to know about how I value it!
My criticism is more about my own lack of the larger academic background here and that fact that (as far as I can determine) their argument remains heavily dependant upon the military history of the period and rarely seems to net in larger areas of concern to substantiate their insights. To a degree, then, the thesis remains somewhat insular and lacks a wider economic and administrative scope. Again, that is not to highlight errors in the thesis - merely to indicate a broader lack of context which may or may not support the thesis.
The more I read it the more I felt both authors were bringing up stringent and pointed concerns. Their conclusions were convincing for me but I am not aware of any academics wading in or indeed even challenging it at the moment so wonder on its impact.
I have a pdf copy but am sorely tempted to purchase a hard copy so it can sit on my bookshelf. That should tell you all you need to know about how I value it!
Francis Hagan
The Barcarii
The Barcarii
