Annotated Bibliography on History: Byzantine Empire and Roman Empire

Haldon, John (2003). Byzantium at war AD 600- 1453.Oxford; Osprey Publishing Lid.

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Available at: http://brego-weard.com/lib2/Essential_Histories_033_Byzantium_at_War_AD_600-1453(OCR)%5B1841763608%5D.pdfIn this book, the author presents the material on the various strategies of war the Byzantine Empire waged. Also, the book tackles theissue of political positions in the country. It alsoexamines military methods to protect the country. John Haldonenriched his work with many maps and illustrations, which may be useful in the preparation for the project. Take into account the military strategies of other empires have also undergone a thorough analysis in this book. Thus, it made it possible to analyze the quality of the military training in the Byzantine Empire and their methods to expand their boundaries.

This book is relevant to the paper because it provides a complete characterization of an important period of the Byzantine Empire its expansion.

World Heritage Encyclopedia Edition (2002). Roman Persian Wars.

Available at: http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/roman-persian_wars

The sources of this scientific paper are the books in Latin of the 18th century, the authors of which were outstanding politicians of the time.World Heritage Encyclopedia Edition provides us with arguments about Roman Persian Wars, their historical background, strategies and military tactics, and historiography. As the period of these wars was one of the most important in the development of the Roman Empire, with the help of this article we can give an accurate comparison of military operations of the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Empire.

In my project, I can use the information on wars of the Roman Persian period to compare military tactics of both Empires.

Haldon, John (1999). Warfare, State And Society In The Byzantine World 565-1204. Routledge.

The book examines Byzantine attitudes to warfare, the effects of war on society and culture, and the relations between the soldiers, their leaders, and civil society. The communications, logistics, resources and other capabilities of the Byzantine Empire are exploredhere to set warfare in its geographical as well as historical context. In addition to the strategic and tactical evolution of the army, this book analyses the army in campaign and in battle, and its attitudes to violence in the context of the Byzantine Orthodox Church.

This book provides examples as well as expert opinion that I can use in my project. This will provide me with evidence to support my claims in comparing attitudes to warfare of Byzantine Empire.

Loyola University Chicago, Dissertations, Ordman, Jilana(2013). Feeling like a holy warrior. Chapter three.

Available at:http://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1678&context=luc_diss In chapter three the author of this dissertation considers strict philosophical and religious ethical system in period of Roman Empire`s wars. With these facts, we can draw conclusions about the different approach of the Roman Empire to military actions, and that one of the Byzantine Empire. Also used references to primary sources. This chapter gives a concept of the moral strategy of military action in the Roman Empire.

This resource will be used as evidence specific ethical approach of the Romans to the war and help make my personal opinion in my project.

Southern, Pat; Dixon, Karen, The Late Roman Army, 1996, ISBN 0-415-22296-6 The period of formation of the late Roman army coincides with the advent of the Byzantine Empire and the development of the armed forces here.This book considers how the army adapted itself to meet these growing threats and how effective it was in combating them. Using a full range of original literary sources, modern Continental scholarship, and current archaeological research, Pat Southern and Karen Dixon provide a stimulating overview of the historical period, the critical changes in the army, and the way these changes affected the morale of the soldiers.

This book can be very useful for my project to compare different structure of military forces in two Empires.

Comparing Byzantine Empire and Roman Empire

In 330 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople. The city was built on the site of the former Greek colony of Byzantium on the shore of the Sea of Marmara. The new capital was named in honor of the Emperor of Constantine - the "city of Constantine." In 395, the Holy Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western parts. In my project I consider two empires - the Roman Empire and Byzantine and also compare their strategies to approach the wars, economic status, religion, and the reasons for the fall.

The main task for the two empires was expanding the boundaries, so it is important to consider the strategy and tactics of military operations in different periods of history in the same area. Why in the period of the Byzantine Empire army almost lost its fighting capacity? How happened the extension of the boundaries of the two empires, and what results has each?Of course, it is very important to analyze the state structure of the empire, the influence of the social order and religion. In my project, I use primary sources and scholarly articles from the Internet, chaptersfrombooksand theinformationfromencyclopedias.

I.Economic situation of the country determined the level of living standards and the position of the Empire at the international level.

A.The parts of this economy located far from each other were not tied together as tightly markets often are today, but they still functioned as part of acomprehensive Mediterranean market.

Example: Market activity was only a minority of all productive activity, it was the dominant mode of activity of literate Rome. People who had some wealth and educationand left records were all operating in market contexts. It is possible to say thatmarket exchange was the dominant mode of interaction in literate Rome, eventhough it may have been less apparent in the daily lives of more humble Romans (Temin, 2001).

Source: Temin, Peter (2001). A Market Economy In The Early Roman Empire. University of Oxford.

B. Byzantine Empire in the twelfth century presents an apparent paradox of an expanding economyalongside a weakening central state. Application of a dynamic transaction-cost framework can illustratehow political and economic decentralization can rationally occur as non-state actors begin to gain acomparative transaction-cost advantage over the state.

Example: Constructing a transaction cost framework that can help to explain a relative shift in political and economic power first requires recognition and demonstration of the underlying paradox of a strengthening economy in coexistence with a weakening central state. This project will proceed by outlining the compelling case for characterising the Byzantine 12th century as a period of considerable extensive and limited intensive economic growth, closely linked to a decline in transaction costs(Knight, 2013).

Source: Knight, Richard (2013). The Political Economy of Byzantium: Transaction Costs and the Decentralisation of the Byzantine Empire in the Twelfth Century. The London School of Economics and Political Science. No: 187|2014

II. Social roles are defined as a set of expectations about the behavior of the individual who occupies a position in the interaction. Gender roles due to differentiation of all members of society into two categories - men and women - and provide them the expected value and certain regulatory behavior.

Gender was a key social indicator in Byzantine society, as in many others. While studies of gender in the western medieval period have appeared regularly in the past decade, similar studies of Byzantium have lagged behind.

Example: Common themes that bind the collection into a coherent whole include specifically Byzantine expectations of gender among the social elite; the fluidity of social and sexual identities for Byzantine men and women within the church; and the specific challenges that strong individuals posed to the traditional limitations of gender within a hierarchical society dominated by Christian orthodoxy(Drongelen, 2005).

Source: Drongelen, Wim Van (2005). Questions of Gender in Byzantine Society. Gardners Books.

Women's rights in the various empires always discussed aloud. In terms of the position of women in society, there is the analysis of gender rights in the Roman Empire.

Example: Fathers of families are those who are under their own legalpower whether they have reached puberty or are still belowpuberty; similarly mothers of families; sons and daughters of families arethose who are in someone elses power. For whoever is born from me and mywife is in my power; likewise whoever is born from my son and his wife,that is my grandson and granddaughter, are equally in my power, and mygreat-grandson and great-granddaughter and so on with the rest(Grubbs, 2002).

Primary Source: Ulpian. Source: Grubbs, Judith Evans. Women and the Law in the Roman Empire. Routledge.