LateAntiquity

Paganism in the Roman Empire | Ramsay MacMullen

I‘ve been really scattered brained. So I decided to find the most boring book on my shelves, from my 1994 undergraduate class on the Roman Empire. (Yeah, I was supposed to read it then. Oops) Well, i‘ve been reading it. Not sure how far i will get.

Suet624 Is this supposed to help with your scatter brained issue? 2mo

Graywacke @Suet624 yes. Boring and demands concentration. Sometimes that works 2mo

Suet624 Interesting! 2mo

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batsy That actually sounds fascinating! But I guess it all depends on how it's written 😆 2mo

Graywacke @batsy well, hopefully eventually. But there is some oddness about it. It‘s focused only on 100-300 ad (ce) and cites mainly Eusebius and Origen, two Christians known for describing pagan rituals. So…. he might just be presenting the ancient propaganda. Not sure yet. 2mo

batsy @Graywacke I absolutely do not know enough about this topic to be able to comment, but I get how that's a perspective that's going to be biased. I will keep an eye out for your review. 2mo

47 likes6 comments

Emilymdxn

The Secret History | Procopius

I heard #dark and my brain went right to dark academia! My whole life goal is to be one of these mood boards or aesthetic videos you have no idea 🥰 #scarathlon #skeletoncrew #autumnplease

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Pretty 🖤 6mo

38 likes1 comment

iread2much

In the Shadow of the Sword: The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World | Tom Holland

bailed

The writing is really good, but the author made some questionable statements and assumptions without providing any foundational evidence for the sweeping statements. I did check the notes and bibliography, but for some of the big sweeping assumptions, particularly about Christian biblical history, there are no citations or endnotes provided which was a problem for me. If you can ignore those statements, it could be a good book for you.

dabbe #thecastledudeabides 🖤🐾🖤 7mo

Leftcoastzen 👏🐶❤️ 7mo

iread2much @dabbe 😂😂 7mo

iread2much @Leftcoastzen 😊💜🐕 7mo

15 likes4 comments

Byzantine-01

In the Shadow of the Sword: The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World | Tom Holland

Currently reading

Berryfan

Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome | Douglas Boin

pick

A very good read. Unfortunately, there are few reliable sources so the author is obliged to describe the circumstances and surmise the effect. Nevertheless, it was very informative and interesting. Certainly it also has a modern point to make in discussing refugees and immigration.

2 likes

RamsFan1963

War of the Three Gods: Romans, Persians, and the Rise of Islam | Peter Crawford

pick

24/150 Despite the fantasy novel sounding title, this is a nonfiction history book about the 7th Century clash between Christian Romans, Zoroastrian Persians and Islamic Arabs. The Romans and Persians had been fighting for centuries, but the addition of the new Muslim power brought a new dynamic to the power struggle. At times, the narrative was an overwhelming litany of names, places and battles, but when it settled down to discuss ⬇️⬇️⬇️

RamsFan1963 the cultural, political and religious differences between the three groups, it became fascinating reading. 1st book finished for #FabulousFebruary readathon @Andrew65 2y

Graywacke Noting. Sounds terrific. 2y

66 likes1 stack add2 comments

Schwifty

The Early Germans | Malcolm Todd

pick

This is an academic treatment of the history and archaeology of the various Germanic tribes inhabiting central, northern and eastern Europe on the fringes of the Roman Empire, including their migrations, interactions with Roman provincials and cultural exchanges between the two. Think of names like Franks, Goths, Alemmani, Thuringians, Suebi and Vandals. Ultimately, these peoples would subsume the Roman Empire. Pretty dry read, but to be expected.

1 like

HotMessJess

Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe | William Rosen

Beck is on sleep strike on the first day of 2021 so I‘m back into my quarantine binge of plague, murder, and history. I like being eclectic in book genres I guess? #2021herewego #pandemicallday #partyallnight

18 likes