For those who don't know, the Emperor Valens was the man who lost the Battle of Adrianople to the Goths thus allowing them to establish themselves on Roman territory. They never left it for the rest of the history of Rome. Many historians see this as the battle that led to the end of Rome 98 years later. So essentially Valens is remembered as a great failure. If you're wondering why someone would want to read a book on a failure then the author has an answer for you. The book is designed to show what qualities were needed in an emperor by showing the qualities that Valens had and the ones he was lacking. And Valens did have good qualities. He wasn't one of those despotic tyrants that show up from time to time in Roman history. He was just a man of average abilities who found himself unable to cope with events. He's also well documented for a fourth century emperor. Ammianus Marcelinus describes his as consisting of "equal parts good and bad qualities," which is another advantage to a historian. The man is not obscured by propaganda in this era of high religious tensions. Nobody tries to make him a saint or a villain, he's just... a man.
OK, onto the book. Aside from the kudos due to the choice of such an awesome topic, there are many reasons to read this book. As far as I know, there aren't any other biographies of Valens out there so you're pretty much stuck with this one anyways. But that's OK, because this book is all you'll need. As mentioned above the book's main purpose is to analyze Valens' abilities and find out what he had and what was lacking. The information on this is fascinating, but it's also arranged in chronological order which means that it reads like a biography and not just some scholarly thesis. The book is written very well on the whole. It maintains your interest all the way through. It also includes probably the most in-depth analysis of the Battle of Adrianople to be found anywhere. Another good reason to check this out. This is one of those books where you really feel an understanding for this era. The world comes to life, as does Valens in all his glory/infamy.
Now, the downside. First and most obvious is the price. This book goes for about $80. If you see it for under $40 grab it! It'll be worth it. For those of us who have no money, there is another excellent book on the battle of Adrianople called
The Day of the Barbarians
. It's a short book but it covers the battle almost as well as this one and for a fraction of the price. It doesn't include more than a minimal sketch of Valens but that's the price you have to pay for cheapness I suppose. The only other problem is the author's tone. It never gets in the way of the story, but the author's tone tends to be really cocky. Ridiculously so at times. Again, it isn't enough to interfere with the story but it can get on your nerves. Fortunately, most of that comes in the Introduction and the Conclusion. In conclusion I can recommend this book VERY strongly, but due to price considerations it's probably a rental and not a buy. If money is no object to you then I'd say buy it, and could you possibly talk to me about my college loans Rich Boy?
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Failure of Empire: Valens and the Roman State in the Fourth Century A.D (Transformation of the Classical Heritage) ハードカバー – 2003/3/1
英語版
Noel Emmanuel Lenski
(著)
Failure of Empire is the first comprehensive biography of the Roman emperor Valens and his troubled reign (a.d. 364-78). Valens will always be remembered for his spectacular defeat and death at the hands of the Goths in the Battle of Adrianople. This singular misfortune won him a front-row seat among history's great losers. By the time he was killed, his empire had been coming unglued for several years: the Goths had overrun the Balkans; Persians, Isaurians, and Saracens were threatening the east; the economy was in disarray; and pagans and Christians alike had been exiled, tortured, and executed in his religious persecutions. Valens had not, however, entirely failed in his job as emperor. He was an admirable administrator, a committed defender of the frontiers, and a ruler who showed remarkable sympathy for the needs of his subjects.
In lively style and rich detail, Lenski incorporates a broad range of new material, from archaeology to Gothic and Armenian sources, in a study that illuminates the social, cultural, religious, economic, administrative, and military complexities of Valens's realm. Failure of Empire offers a nuanced reconsideration of Valens the man and shows both how he applied his strengths to meet the expectations of his world and how he ultimately failed in his efforts to match limited capacities to limitless demands.
In lively style and rich detail, Lenski incorporates a broad range of new material, from archaeology to Gothic and Armenian sources, in a study that illuminates the social, cultural, religious, economic, administrative, and military complexities of Valens's realm. Failure of Empire offers a nuanced reconsideration of Valens the man and shows both how he applied his strengths to meet the expectations of his world and how he ultimately failed in his efforts to match limited capacities to limitless demands.
- 本の長さ454ページ
- 言語英語
- 出版社Univ of California Pr
- 発売日2003/3/1
- 寸法16.51 x 3.81 x 24.77 cm
- ISBN-100520233328
- ISBN-13978-0520233324
商品の説明
著者について
Noel Lenski is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
登録情報
- 出版社 : Univ of California Pr (2003/3/1)
- 発売日 : 2003/3/1
- 言語 : 英語
- ハードカバー : 454ページ
- ISBN-10 : 0520233328
- ISBN-13 : 978-0520233324
- 寸法 : 16.51 x 3.81 x 24.77 cm
- カスタマーレビュー:
著者について
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他の国からのトップレビュー
Arch Stanton
5つ星のうち5.0
An Excellent Book on a Not-So-Excellent Emperor
2009年7月26日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
alan penn
5つ星のうち5.0
Five Stars
2015年8月29日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Excellent really pleased
Falcon6
5つ星のうち4.0
Informative
2017年6月19日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Well written and researched. I would disagree with some conclusions, but a book of this type should spark discussion.
Romulus Augustus
5つ星のうち4.0
Good for referencing, with some caveats.
2015年3月10日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Whilst there is much to admire from Lenski's 'Failure of Empire', he unfortunately at times makes rather sensational statements without evidence to back such statements up. I find this one, on page 127 particularly annoying and based on Lenski's own speculation-
'Valens arrived with his army the following spring, when he is attested at Marcianople from May 10. There, he supplemented his rather deficient strategic knowledge with the new manual 'De rebus bellicis', written for him in the period following the Procopius revolt. The manual not only recommended the sort of border fortifications that he soon built and the manufacture of the ballistae with which he equipped these forts, it also had advice on shirts to protect his men from cool and damp weather, and portable bridges, which would have been ideal for the marshy territory in which he was about to campaign'.
There is no evidence to support Valen's even knew of the existence of the 'De Rebus Bellicis' let alone took a copy of it on campaigns, and even if he had done so it would not have given him any real strategic or tactical knowledge and was full of untested and fanciful idea's to boot, especially those around the scythed chariots and ballista's.
There are similar such issues in the book which prevents me otherwise giving it a five star rating.
'Valens arrived with his army the following spring, when he is attested at Marcianople from May 10. There, he supplemented his rather deficient strategic knowledge with the new manual 'De rebus bellicis', written for him in the period following the Procopius revolt. The manual not only recommended the sort of border fortifications that he soon built and the manufacture of the ballistae with which he equipped these forts, it also had advice on shirts to protect his men from cool and damp weather, and portable bridges, which would have been ideal for the marshy territory in which he was about to campaign'.
There is no evidence to support Valen's even knew of the existence of the 'De Rebus Bellicis' let alone took a copy of it on campaigns, and even if he had done so it would not have given him any real strategic or tactical knowledge and was full of untested and fanciful idea's to boot, especially those around the scythed chariots and ballista's.
There are similar such issues in the book which prevents me otherwise giving it a five star rating.