What is Greek Fire? Greek fire or ‘liquid fire’ is a well-known piece of incendiary technology used by Byzantine military forces to burn their enemies alive or set ablaze rival ships. The devices used were akin to a modern flamethrower and we find from our sources that these flamethrowers-like weapons were placed upon Byzantine warshipsContinue reading “The Significance of Greek Fire in the Defence of Constantinople”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Book Review: Jonathan Eaton, ‘Leading the Roman Army’ (2020)
This review will be the start of a new format, in which I will review books within a limit of 500 words. This is a new approach, and the aim is to allow people to get a grasp of the book within a smaller amount of time and without overbearing them with information. Although someContinue reading “Book Review: Jonathan Eaton, ‘Leading the Roman Army’ (2020)”
Book Review: Glenn Barnett, ‘Emulating Alexander’ (2017).
Barnett, G, Emulating Alexander: How Alexander the Great’s Legacy Fuelled Rome’s Wars with Persia (Pen & Sword, 2017). £19.99 Glenn Barnett provides readers with an interesting book that focuses on how Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who conquered the Achaemenid Empire and ventured to Asia, fuelled Rome’s eastern ambitions. The book traces events fromContinue reading “Book Review: Glenn Barnett, ‘Emulating Alexander’ (2017).”
Book Review: James Howard-Johnston, ‘The Last Great War of Antiquity’ (Oxford, 2021).
Book Review: Howard-Johnston, J, ‘The Last Great War of Antiquity’ (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021). £35.00 (480 Pages) James Howard-Johnston provides a long-awaited narration of the last war fought between the Roman and Sasanian Empires, in what he terms, ‘The Last Great War of Antiquity’ (AD 603-630). This book allows the reader to disseminate whyContinue reading “Book Review: James Howard-Johnston, ‘The Last Great War of Antiquity’ (Oxford, 2021).”
Book Review: Ilkka Syvanne, ‘Military History of Rome, 518-565’ (2021)
Book Review: Syvanne, Ilkka, ‘Military History of Late Rome 518–565’ (Pen and Sword Military, 2021). £30.00 First, I would like to thank Pen and Sword for sending me a review copy of this book. In my fault, I was not able to review it at the time of arrival because I was in England visitingContinue reading “Book Review: Ilkka Syvanne, ‘Military History of Rome, 518-565’ (2021)”
Becoming Šāhanšāh in Ērānshahr: Visual and Literary Evidence for Sasanian Investiture Rituals in the Late Sixth Century AD
During the last two days, I’ve attended this years iteration of the AMPAH (Annual Meeting of Postgraduates in Ancient History), which was hosted by the University of Exeter. There were many great papers delivered throughout the course of the two-day conference and I was fortunate to also present my research on Sasanian investiture rituals. MyContinue reading “Becoming Šāhanšāh in Ērānshahr: Visual and Literary Evidence for Sasanian Investiture Rituals in the Late Sixth Century AD”
The Romans and Sasanians March to the IMC in July 2021
For centuries the Roman and the Sasanian Empires battled it out in the Near East for ideological and physical dominance. Frontiers expanded and retracted, with the two powers continuously interacting with one another throughout the third to seventh century. But what were the political, and by extension diplomatic, military, geographic, and gendered climates that theseContinue reading “The Romans and Sasanians March to the IMC in July 2021”
Getting to Know my PhD Research
I’ve recently been on a break from writing blog posts because my PhD research has taken off and therefore, I needed to give it my ultimate priority. Nevertheless, I hope to come back to this blog for sporadic posts about a variety of topics from PhD advice and insights into Late Antique and Medieval RomanContinue reading “Getting to Know my PhD Research”
Upgraded to PhD Candidate at Cardiff University!
This blog will not be a full post as I am currently tied down with a lot of extra-work at the moment. Nonetheless, I did want to let everyone know that I have officially been upgraded in status from a PhD student to a PhD Candidate. Furthermore, next week’s blog post will cover what myContinue reading “Upgraded to PhD Candidate at Cardiff University!”
East Rome and Sasanian Persia: Were they Natural Rivals?
A few years ago, I was a guest speaker on a podcast titled Antiquity in Question. We spoke on whether East Rome and the Sasanian Persians were natural rivals. This episode was based on an extended essay I undertook during my masters at the University of Oxford. The episode is there to provide an insightContinue reading “East Rome and Sasanian Persia: Were they Natural Rivals?”
ByzRoma1453 - A History of Late Antiquity and Byzantium 