Roman Conquests: Asia Minor, Syria and Armenia

Roman Conquests: Asia Minor, Syria and Armenia
Richard Evans (Author)
(1)

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Syria

While conquering Greece and Macedonia the Romans defeated an intervention by the Seleucid Empire, the most powerful of the Hellenistic states founded by Alexander the Great's successors. Soon Roman armies crossed to Asia for the first time to carry the war to the Seleucids. Here they faced one of the most sophisticated armies of the ancient world, evolved from Alexander's all-conquering war machine with the exotic additions of elephants, scythed chariots and heavily armored cataphract cavalry. The Seleucids also possessed a formidable navy.

The Roman army defeated the Seleucids at the epic battle of Magnesia in 190 BC, which marked the beginning of a long decline for Seleucid power in Asia . This, however, allowed other states to come to the fore, most notably Pontus . In the 1st century BC, Rome 's grip on its Asian provinces was shattered by the onslaught of Mithridates VI of Pontus, Rome 's most enduring foe. Mithridates was eventually overcome, after many Roman reverses, but these wars in turn led to conflict with Armenia .

Like the other volumes in this series, this book gives a clear narrative of the course of these wars, explaining how the Roman war machine coped with formidable new foes and the challenges of unfamiliar terrain and climate. This volume draws on Dr. Evans' expertise in studying topography in relation to ancient events and specifically his original research into the battlefield of Magnesia.

• Rank: #96383 in eBooks
• Published on: 2011-12-15
• Released on: 2011-12-15
• Format: Kindle eBook
• Number of items: 1

Description #1 by ValoreBooks.com:

Roman Conquests : Asia Minor, Syria and Armenia, ISBN-13: 9781844159710, ISBN-10: 184415971X

Description #2 by Overstock.com:

In 1039 Byzantium was the most powerful empire in Europe and the Near East, controlling the Balkans south of the Danube and all of Asia Minor into Armenia and Syria. By 1079 it had become a politically unstable state half the size, menaced by powerful enemies on all sides. The History of Michael Attaleiates is our main source for this astonishing reversal, and offers a gripping narrative of the foreign and civil wars of those years. Attaleiates was a highly placed legal and military official of the empire with first-hand knowledge of the events he describes. He knew many of the emperors and includes an eyewitness account of the battle of Mantzikert (1071), where the Seljuk Turks crushed the Byzantine armies and opened the door for the permanent Turkish conquest of Asia Minor. He also provides vivid narratives of civil unrest and decries the corruption and economic exploitation of his society, looking to the heroes of the Roman Republic for models of nobility. Michael Attaleiates History has never before been translated into English. The present translation, based on the most recent critical edition, makes the text accessible through its notes, maps, and glossary of Byzantine terms.

Description #3 by Eruditor.com:

Pen & Sword Books Ltd | 2011 | 192 pages | ISBN-13: 9781844159710 | ISBN-10: 184415971X | You save 30%