Roman History

Galla Placidia and the Fall of the Roman Empire

Empress Galla Placidia played a significant role during a tumultuous period in the history of the Roman Empire, particularly during the early 5th century, which saw the Western Roman Empire in decline.

Early Life and Family Background

Galla Placidia was born around 388 AD, the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I and his second wife, Galla, who was the daughter of Emperor Valentinian I. As part of the Theodosian dynasty, she was connected to a lineage of influential rulers, including her half-brothers Arcadius and Honorius, who would become emperors of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, respectively.

Captivity and Marriage

In 410 AD, during the Sack of Rome by the Visigoths under Alaric, Galla Placidia was captured. Despite her noble status, she was taken to Gaul with the Visigoths. There, she married the Visigothic king, Ataulf, in 414 AD. This marriage was politically significant, symbolizing a temporary alliance between the Romans and the Visigoths. Their union produced a son, Theodosius, who died in infancy, and after Ataulf's assassination, Galla Placidia returned to Roman custody.

Galla Placidia

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Influence as Empress

After her return, Galla Placidia married Constantius III, a prominent general who became co-emperor with Honorius in 421 AD. Their marriage produced two children, Valentinian III and Justa Grata Honoria. When Constantius III died shortly after being named co-emperor, Galla Placidia became a widow again, and her political influence increased, particularly after the death of her brother Honorius in 423 AD.

Regency and Political Maneuvering

Upon Honorius's death, Galla Placidia became regent for her young son, Valentinian III, who was declared emperor in 425 AD. Her regency lasted until Valentinian III came of age. During this time, she navigated the complexities of Roman politics, managing relations with powerful generals like Flavius Aetius and combating internal threats and external pressures from various barbarian groups.

Legacy and Later Life

Galla Placidia's efforts to maintain the stability of the Western Roman Empire were marked by both successes and challenges. She played a critical role in the construction of churches and patronage of Christian projects, contributing to the religious and cultural life of the period. One of her most famous contributions is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, which is renowned for its stunning mosaics and stands as a testament to early Christian art.

Empress Galla Placidia and the Fall of the Roman Empire

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Galla Placidia died in 450 AD, just before the Western Roman Empire's final collapse. Her life and regency were emblematic of the era's struggles, balancing internal Roman politics and external threats, reflecting the complex dynamics that led to the eventual fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Conclusion

Galla Placidia's life intersected with many pivotal events and figures of her time. As empress, regent, and mother of an emperor, she wielded considerable influence during one of the most challenging periods in Roman history. Her legacy, both political and cultural, highlights the significant role she played in the final decades of the Western Roman Empire.

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Roman Dodecahedron

The Roman dodecahedron is a small, hollow object made of bronze or, more rarely, stone, with a geometrical shape that has 12 flat faces. Each face is a pentagon, a five-sided shape. The Roman dodecahedra are also embellished with a series of knobs on each corner point of the pentagons, and the pentagon faces in most cases contain circular holes in them. The size of the Roman dodecahedrons can vary, with heights ranging from about 1.5 to 4.5 inches (4 to 11 centimeters). Their historical and functional significance has been a subject of considerable intrigue and speculation.

Roman Dodecahedron

Image Wikipedia

The purpose of the Roman dodecahedron remains a mystery to this day, with numerous theories proposed to explain its function. Some of the more popular theories include that it could have been used as a measuring device on the battlefield, a tool for determining the optimal date for sowing winter grain, a candle holder, a religious artifact, a die for a game, or even as a knitting tool for making gloves. However, there is no definitive evidence to support any of these theories conclusively.

The Roman dodecahedron is an artifact that has sparked much curiosity due to its unique design and the lack of clear historical context. It is a testament to the diversity of objects and the potential range of functions they could have had in the Roman world. The mystery surrounding this artifact continues to intrigue scholars and the public alike, making it a fascinating subject of study and speculation.

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How did the Romans protect themselves from the sun?

The ancient Romans used various methods to protect themselves from the sun, including the use of natural materials and specific practices. One of the most common methods was to wear wide-brimmed hats, which provided shade to the face, neck, and shoulders. Additionally, they would often drape themselves in lightweight, light-colored tunics made of linen or wool, which helped reflect the sun's rays and keep the body cool.

In terms of skin protection, it is known that ancient civilizations, including the Romans, had an understanding of the sun's harmful effects on the skin. They would use various natural ingredients to create ointments and oils to protect their skin from the sun. These ingredients included olive oil, beeswax, and various plant extracts known for their soothing and protective properties.

Moreover, the Romans were conscious of the sun's intensity during different times of the day. They would often seek shade during the hottest hours of the day and schedule their outdoor activities for the cooler parts of the day, such as early morning or late afternoon.

Sol is the personification of the Sun and a god in ancient Roman religion

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Lastly, it's worth noting that the Romans were also aware of the importance of hydration in hot weather. They would drink water and other refreshing beverages, such as diluted wine, to keep themselves hydrated and cool.

These practices show that the ancient Romans were quite adept at protecting themselves from the sun, using a combination of clothing, natural products, and smart scheduling to minimize their exposure to harmful UV rays.

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Roman Coins

Roman coins, spanning from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, were minted in various denominations and materials such as gold, silver, and bronze. They featured portraits of emperors and significant symbols on their faces, reflecting the political, cultural, and economic aspects of Roman society. Notable among the coins are those depicting the Colosseum, Trajan’s Column, and the Temple of Vesta, showcasing Roman architecture on coinage.

The Roman currency system included denarii, the standard silver denomination, and nummi, bronze coins. The coinage often reflected the political climate of the time, with changes in the ruling emperor or significant events leading to alterations in the design and minting of coins. For example, coins were struck to celebrate the move of the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople in AD 330 by Constantine the Great.

Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins

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The Romans saw coins as far more than just money – these were metal canvases on which they immortalised their sacred gods, mighty emperors, towering monuments, and brutal battles of conquest

Recent archaeological findings have unveiled a variety of Roman coin hoards across Europe. For instance, in Italy, a hoard of nearly 200 Roman coins was found in a terra-cotta pot, providing insights into the Social War and the civil war between Sulla and the Marians. In the Conwy Valley, a large hoard of Roman coins was discovered in a ceramic vessel, revealing a mix of silver and copper-alloy coins. These discoveries not only offer a glimpse into the economic history of the Roman Empire but also shed light on the religious practices and societal customs of the time.

The study of Roman coins is crucial for understanding the historical context of Roman society, including its political structure, economic systems, and cultural values. Each coin tells a story, making them valuable historical artifacts that continue to fascinate scholars and the public alike.

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The Roman Auxiliary Cavalry of Britannia

The Roman Auxiliary Cavalry of Britannia

Who guarded the Wall? For much of its first 300 years of use Hadrian's Wall marked the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire. In movies such as The Eagle or Centurion we see the Roman foot soldier astride its battlements looking north, spear and shield in hand. But was its defence all about the humble infantryman? What of the cavalry? Why did many Wall forts include a mounted contingent within its garrison?

It has been calculated that sustaining a cavalryman with his kit and horse cost 5 times that of an infantryman. Why would the Romans invest so much in such an expensive asset?

We know from more recent times that cavalry can move at lightning speed, and are highly mobile, making them effective on patrols and as scouts, which would have been particularly important north of the Wall. They make speedy messengers, giving warning of sudden threats and incursions. In Roman times they would also have ensured food security, protecting local farmland and guarding supply trains to the Wall’s outlying forts.

But to my mind possibly the greatest significance of their presence is, they projected the image of power and renown of Rome and its imperial might. If you have ever seen the Household Cavalry in London or mounted police outside of a football (soccer) stadium you will get an idea of what a disciplined, armoured unit of Roman cavalry must have looked like to an Iron Age population.

Outlying forts, such as at Birrens and Netherby housed specialist, double-strength, mixed infantry and cavalry cohorts (milliaria equitata) as well as specialist scouts (exploratores) enabling them to command the local area and suppress any uprising of the local tribes. The effect on the indigenous people must have been as much psychological as physical.

But who were these cavalrymen? Well they certainly weren’t drawn from the Roman aristocracy as they often were in the time of the Republic. No, the names of their units give a clear indication the Romans recruited from all over the empire and mainly from the homelands of its conquered peoples. Germanic and celtic Gaulish units were prevalent, such as the Germanic units of the I Nervana Germanorum and the Cohors II Tungrorum. But regiments from as far away as Spain, modern day Bulgaria and Croatia have also been identified. However, as the needs of the empire changed over time individual units increasingly recruited from the local populations. With sons moving into the family business by joining the cohorts of their fathers and grandfathers.

So what was life like for the cavalryman? Well each troop, known as a turma, typically 30 men when at full complement, were housed in a single barrack block. Trios of men lived at the back of the building with their horses stabled at the front. There were surely few nights that troopers fell asleep without the sound of the snorts of their mounts and the sweet smell of hay and manure in their nostrils. Each room had a hearth set against the stable-side wall for warmth and cooking. The decurion, who commanded the turma, lived in rooms at the end of the block along with his family. Troopers ate, slept and kept their weapons and tack in these small rooms. It is also thought grooms and slaves may have slept in the roof space above.

The training for cavalrymen and their mounts was extensive and intense. If you have seen horses being drilled for modern day dressage you will get the idea, with each trained initially on a long rein to teach basic skills as well as special steps. It is likely horses were broken and prepared by specialists before being assigned to its rider. They learned to overcome their instinct to flee when startled and to cope in the noise and fervour of combat. The early instruction of the cavalryman would have focussed on mastering the basic skills of controlling and riding the horse whilst holding a sword or spear in the right hand and the shield and rein in the left. From there they would have progressed to learning to fight as a turma, with unit drills enabling large numbers of men to manoeuvre in battle.

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The average cavalryman was well armed and armoured. He typically wore chainmail armour that allowed greater movement whilst on horseback. Their weapons consisted of the long cavalry sword often referred to as the spatha. They had a fighting lance and two shorter throwing javelins. Their shields were a variety of shapes including square and oval, but were usually flat with a steel rim and a rounded metal boss to enable it to be used as a weapon. It is not hard to imagine the damage the charge of even a small unit of auxiliary cavalry could inflict on the largely unprotected bodies of the tribal warriors of the north of Britain.

Memorial stone of Insus of the Treveri tribe, cavalryman of the Ala Augusta, Lancaster Museum. Image Alistair Tosh personal

When researching for my Edge of Empire series, which focuses on the lives of the men of a mixed Germanic cohort, I was surprised by the amount of detail we now have on the everyday life of a Roman cavalryman. In their adventures I have worked hard to be faithful to that knowledge and attempted to bring it to life for the present day reader.

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Best selling author, Alistair Tosh was born in Dumfriesshire, a place filled with ancient place names such as Torthorwald and Caerlaverock. But it was his visits, as a boy, to nearby Burnswark Iron Age hillfort and its Roman siegeworks that first fired his interest in Roman and Dark Ages history.

On leaving school he began a 35 year communications career, firstly with the Royal Navy, that included covert riverine and seaborne operations during the height of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, before moving into the corporate telecommunications world. Military life is unique, and Alistair aims to reflect an authentic view of that experience and its language in his stories.

His debut historical novel, Siege, the first book in the Edge of Empire series, is set against the backdrop of the Antonine push into Caledonia. When not writing or researching, Alistair likes to spend time with family. He and his wife also love hill walking and have spent a great deal of time exploring the mountains of both the UK and Andalucia accompanied by their dog Hurley.

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WARRIOR - Edge of Empire (Book Three) by Alistair Tosh

WARRIOR - Edge of Empire (Book Three)

by Alistair Tosh

His debut historical novel, Siege, the first book in the Edge of Empire series, is set against the backdrop of the Antonine push into Caledonia. Lucius Faenius Felix, cheated of his ancestral estates and still grieving the murder of his father, arrives in Britannia as an inexperienced Tribune to command the First Nervana. A cohort drawn from the homelands of the fierce Nervii tribe. With the comradeship of Cai Martis, the veteran cavalry Prefect, he endeavours to uncover the conspiracy of the resurgent Novantae people.

Praise for the Edge of Empire series

"An excellent, exciting debut. Gripping, gritty, and blood-spattered. Fans of Roman historical adventure will love it! Alistair Tosh is a writer to watch." Matthew Harffy, Author of the Bernicia Chronicles.

"A taut bowstring of a story with a climax sharp as a warrior's blade." Alistair Forrest, author of Sea of Flames

"Tosh takes his band of heroes through an ancient heart of darkness. An epic adventure that will leave warriors changed and have the reader's pulse-rate soaring." Fiona Forsyth, author of the Lucius Sestius Mysteries

Book 3 in the series 'Warrior' is now out now

When not writing or researching, Alistair likes to spend time with family. He and his wife also love hill walking and have spent a great deal of time exploring the mountains of both the UK and Andalucia accompanied by their dog Hurley.

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WARRIOR - Book Summary

'The ultimate blend of betrayal, vengeance and brutality in this thunderous thriller set in Roman Spain.' Fiona Forsyth, author of Rome's End

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AD 150

Lucius Faenius Felix - a battle hardened Tribune, scarred in body and mind - journeys to his home province of Hispania Baetica. Accompanied by his friend Cai Martis - warrior of the Nervii tribe and veteran Praefect of cavalry - Felix has high hopes of recovering his family lands and avenging his father’s murder.

But the soldier's homeland is being terrorised by roving bands of outlaws. Felix and Martis are thrust into a perilous world of powerful men and rival factions. When his brother is captured by one of the gangs Lucius goes in pursuit with his own small band and unwittingly starts a war with a formidable enemy who are not what they initially seem.

Felix's honour is tested when told he must forgo seeking revenge against his father’s killer, Malor, the head of the villainous Castricae clan, as the price for the return of his lands.

Friends and enemies are not always what they seem, as Felix draws Malor’s forces in to give battle.

The soldier will risk everything to see his sense of honour - and desire for vengeance - satisfied.

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Marcus Furius Camillus: The Life of Rome's Second Founder

Marcus Furius Camillus: The Life of Rome's Second Founder

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Camillus served as a censor, was elected to six consular tribuneships, appointed dictator five times, and enjoyed four triumphs. He toppled mighty Veii, ejected the Senones from Rome following its sacking, and helped orchestrate a grand compromise between the patricians and plebeians. The Romans even considered him Rome's second founder - a proud appellation for any Roman - and revered him for being an exemplar of Roman virtue. Interestingly, he never held the consulship. Plutarch stated that Camillus had avoided it on purpose, and for good reason. The office was often at the heart of controversy, given that patricians dominated it for most of Camillus' life. The appointment of a dictator was an emergency measure taken only in the direst of situations and the fact that Camillus was repeatedly appointed speaks of a period when the young Republic was surrounded by enemies and still fighting for survival. Without Camillus' efforts the city may never have fulfilled its great destiny. Marc Hyden sifts the fragmentary and contradictory sources and, while acknowledging that much legend and exaggeration quickly accrued around Camillus' name, presents the story of this remarkable life as the ancient Romans knew it.

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Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint

Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint

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A definitive new biography of the Byzantine emperor Justinian

Justinian is a radical reassessment of an emperor and his times. In the sixth century CE, the emperor Justinian presided over nearly four decades of remarkable change, in an era of geopolitical threats, climate change, and plague. From the eastern Roman—or Byzantine—capital of Constantinople, Justinian’s armies reconquered lost territory in Africa, Italy, and Spain. But these military exploits, historian Peter Sarris shows, were just one part of a larger program of imperial renewal. From his dramatic overhaul of Roman law, to his lavish building projects, to his fierce persecution of dissenters from Orthodox Christianity, Justinian’s vigorous statecraft—and his energetic efforts at self-glorification—not only set the course of Byzantium but also laid the foundations for the world of the Middle Ages.

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Rome and Persia: The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry

Rome and Persia: The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry

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The epic rivalry between the ancient world's two great superpowers

The Roman empire was like no other. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale.

Its only true rival lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. This was the region Alexander the Great had swept through, creating a dream of glory and conquest that tantalized Greeks and Romans alike. Tracing seven centuries of conflict between Rome and Persia, historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows how these two great powers evolved together. Despite their endless clashes, trade between the empires enriched them both, and a mutual respect prevented both Rome and Persia from permanently destroying the other.

Epic in scope, Rome and Persia completely reshapes our understanding of one of the greatest rivalries of world history.

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Author biography: Robert Bruton

Author biography: Robert Bruton

New author whose first book on the life of Roman General Flavius Belisarius is scheduled to come out later this summer

I am an American author and a former CIA operations officer who was primarily assigned to Africa and the former Soviet Union. I have a BA in history from the University of St. Thomas and a MA in world history from Norwich University, where I completed my thesis on the role of climate change in the decline of the Roman Empire. I live near Washington, D.C. with my wife and children.

Author Robert Bruton
www.authorrobertbruton.com

I became interested in Roman history during my undergraduate studies and pursued graduate studies to further my knowledge. When I was thinking about what to write my thesis on, I decided I wanted to add some new insight into the decline of the Roman Empire. An increase in evidence from the "natural archives" (ice cores, tree rings, sedimentology, palynology, entomology, etc.) made me realize that we in the twenty-first century have access to a wide range of new scientific evidence about paleo-climate change that was not available to previous students of Roman history. Evidence pointed to a series of massive volcanic eruptions in the year 536 AD that led to a climate catastrophe such as had never been seen in human history. The decade that followed 536 was the coldest in the past six thousand years. Trees stopped growing; summer frosts killed crops; food shortages and famine followed. And then in 542, the Empire got hit with a double-whammy: the cold temperatures created the ideal climate for the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes bubonic plague, and within a year, perhaps half the population of the empire was gone. I thought it was a story worth telling, and General Flavius Belisarius, one of the most brilliant and resourceful generals in history, seemed to be the best one to do it.

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