Aurelian and Probus: The Soldier Emperors Who Saved Rome

by Ilkka Syvänne

Overview

This is a narrative military history of the emperors Lucius Domitius Aurelianus (270-275) and Marcus Aurelius Probus (276-282).

This is a narrative military history of the emperors Lucius Domitius Aurelianus (‘Aurelian’, reigned 270-275) and Marcus Aurelius Probus (276-282) which also includes the other reigns between the years 268 and 285. It shows how these two remarkable emperors were chiefly responsible for the Empire surviving and emerging largely intact from a period of intense crisis. It was Aurelian who first united the breakaway regions, including Zenobia’s Palmyra, and it was Probus who then secured his achievements.

The reigns of Aurelian and Probus have been subjected to many studies, but none of these have approached the extant material purely from the point of view of military analysis. Most importantly, the previous historians have not exploited the analytical opportunities provided by the military treatises that describe the strategy and tactics of the period Roman army. It is thanks to this new methodology that Ilkka Syvänne has been able to reconstruct the military campaigns of these two soldier emperors and their other contemporaries in far greater detail than has been possible before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526767509
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	06/24/2020
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dr. Ilkka Syvänne gained his doctorate in history in 2004 from the University of Tampere in his native Finland. Since then he has written extensively about ancient and medieval warfare and his publications include: 'The Age of Hippotoxotai, Art of War in Roman Military Revival and Disaster 491-636' (Tampere UP 2004), 'The Reign of Gallienus' (Pen & Sword, 2019), the multivolume 'Military History of Late Rome' published by Pen & Sword and the critically acclaimed Caracalla. He is the co-author with Professor Katarzyna Maksymiuk of the 'Military History of Third Century Iran' (Siedlce UP, 2018) and the 'Military History of Fifth Century Iran' (Siedlce UP, 2019). He was Vice Chairman of the Finnish Society for Byzantine Studies from 2007 until 2016. He has been an Affiliated Professor of the University of Haifa since 2016. He lives in Kangasala, Finland.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

List of Plates vii

List of Maps ix

Introduction x

Abbreviations xi

Chapter 1 Sources and Analysis 1

Chapter 2 The Roman Empire in 268 3

Chapter 3 Youth and Career of Aurelian and Probus until 268 29

Chapter 4 The Reign of Claudius II 'Gothieus' in 268-270 46

Chapter 5 Aurelian (Aurelianus) The Beginning of the Reign in 270-71 64

Chapter 6 Aurelian vs. Zenobia 271-272 92

Chapter 7 The Wars against the Palmyrene Rebels, Carpi and Firmus of Egypt in 272-3 127

Chapter 8 Aurelian in the West 274-5 140

Chapter 9 Aurelian, the Man with Perfect Ability in War 158

Chapter 10 Tacitus 275-6 160

Chapter 11 The Struggle for Dominance: Probus vs. Florianus 169

Chapter 12 Probus the Fireman 176

Chapter 13 Probus. The Military Intellectual 212

Chapter 14 The Reigns of Carus (282-3), Carinus (282-5) and Numerianus (282-4) 215

Appendix I Modestus, Vegetius, and the Late Third Century Army 231

Appendix II The Problem of Third Century Drungus/Droungos as a Military Unit 247

Notes 249

Bibliography 265

Index 268

Editorial Reviews

"The book is very well put together and I can highly recommend it much beyond simply the title of the book, the details around late roman military strategies and combat make it well worth reading."

Medieval Sword School

"A curious and interesting documentary book/manual of two men who changed the story." (trans.)

Miniaturas JM

A critical work… Aurelian and Probus is a very good look at a very confusing period in Roman history.

The NYMAS Review

"The author has already written a number of fine books about the later period of the Roman Empire and this is a worthy addition to his portfolio. The later years of Roman history are the least known and understood, historians concentrating on the Republic and the early years of Empire. – Very Highly Recommended"

Firetrench

"As with books by Dr Syvanne, this follows the pattern of detailed narrative coupled with good images and maps, not least the colour plates. Recommended."

Michael McCarthy

"There have been other studies of the reigns of Aurelian and Probus, but until now none has approached the subject from the point of view of military analysis. Yet plenty of material has survived to permit this. The author, Dr Syvanne, has made use of the military treatises that describe the tactics and strategy used by Roman army commanders at this period. He has been able to reconstruct the military campaigns of the two soldier-Emperors and their contemporaries in far greater detail than has ever been done before."

Army Rumour Service

"Syvänne is ably assisted by the inclusion of many coloured plates, photographs, and illustrations, which taken with the detailed narrative produces a valuable book for students of the Roman Empire and military history in general."

Beating Tsundoku

Impressively informative, thoroughly documented… exceptionally well written [and] illustrated, and thoroughly 'reader friendly in organized and presentation’...

Midwest Book Review

"[A]n excellent [book] and a worthy addition to the library of any enthusiast of the subject. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in warfare in antiquity, and particularly in Roman military history, especially as the 3rd century has received too little attention."

De Re Militari