Blog | The Blogographer

A Roman Presence in Ireland - the Example of the Coleraine Hoard

ptcrawford

2 minutes ago0 min read

Victory Through Defeat: The Battle of Avarayr 451 Part I - Background and Numbers

The kingdom of Armenia had been a persistent flashpoint for both the Roman and Persian empires. In the fifth century, it was no different, with the added dimension of religion being thrown in since Armenia officially converted to Christianity in 301. Its position came into the spotlight again in the aftermath of the Romano-Persian War of 421-422. It had been without a king since 420 when its Sassanid Persian ruler Shapur IV had made a play for the Persian throne on the death

ptcrawford

Nov 3010 min read

A Soldier and A Scholar 55 - I Have Become My Enemy

Episode 55 - The Persians have been ousted from all shores of the Aegean Sea... so what is the point of the Delian League...? https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-55-i-have-become-my-enemy A (hopefully) fun and accessible portal into Ancient History, with some academic and 'real world' insights. WARNING While it does not appear throughout, some episodes feature some stronger language than others.

ptcrawford

Nov 231 min read

I Killed A Roman Emperor

At first glance, this list of people thought to have killed a Roman emperor might seem somewhat short. Indeed, there are plenty of other people who killed or ordered the death of a Roman emperor, but this list is reserved for individuals who supposedly carried out the deed themselves. For example, we know that someone strangled the emperor Alexios IV Angelus to death while he was in prison on the order of Alexios V Doukas, but there is no record of who carried out the deed, s

ptcrawford

Nov 163 min read

The Real Severans VII: Challengers to Elagabalus

While hindsight is 20/20, Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus did not appear to be the best candidate for the imperial throne in 218. He was only 14 years old, reliant on his mother and grandmother for political guidance and with his only dynastic link being that his grandmother was the sister of an empress, i.e. it was not a good one (hence the need to claim that Caracalla was his father - indeed, so weak was Elagabalus’ claim that his mother, Julia Soaemias, had to ‘admit’ to a

ptcrawford

Nov 97 min read

A Soldier and A Scholar 54 - A Honourable Sunset

Episode 54 - An Athenian general returns from exile for one last hurrah... https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-54-a-sunset-with-honor A (hopefully) fun and accessible portal into Ancient History, with some academic and 'real world' insights. WARNING While it does not appear throughout, some episodes feature some stronger language than others.

ptcrawford

Nov 21 min read

From Aberglaube (Superstition) to Zweifrontenkrieg (Two-front War): 210 Reasons for the Decline of the Roman Empire

Look at a map of the Roman Empire in 420 and you might be forgiven for thinking that talk of a decline was a little overblown. In terms of outline, the empire does not look all that different from its fourth century predecessor. Even a generation later at the outset of the 450s, while some regions had fallen out of imperial control - Britain, western Gaul, western Spain and Africa province, the overall integrity of the empire appears to be sound. Such appearances can be decei

ptcrawford

Oct 265 min read

The Real Severans VI: Was This The Best They Had? Were There Other ‘Severans’?

Had Severus Alexander not suffered a mutinous death at the hands of the supporters of Maximinus Thrax, perhaps instead dying of an illness whilst on campaign without having annoyed the military, what would the ‘Severan’ remnant have done? On the surface, a peaceful, earlier death of Alexander would seem to have left Julia Mamaea as the only surviving ‘Severan’ Woman (overlooking the various ex-wives of Elagabalus and Alexander himself), but were there any other ‘Severans’ w

ptcrawford

Oct 194 min read