TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Benjamin Issac – The Limits of Empire
- Frontier policy until Diocletian expansionist persistently. Some frontiers more policing than anything else. Saracens took over some of thee duties in the Byzantine period.
- Post Julian Emperors no longer hoped to destroy the Persian empire – but sill no spirit of cooperation when need with Huns in north.
- Most fighting Mesopotamia no functioning system of defence even in this area during the period – were forces whose function to prevent nomadic raids, but major expeditions came in easily. Had to attack heavily fortified cities – defence responsibility of local population.
- Common idea Rome clear ideas of which boundaries would guarantee safety and security. Trajan’s campaigns often see as search for defensible boundaries.
- Historians often think of constant pressure of borders.
- Common approach – under Principate establishment of secure boundaries first concern of Romans – security of inhabitants prime importance, clear ideology – was as an evil, sometimes necessary to protect integrity of state – based on a number of assumptions:
- Rome initiate war on rational grounds
- Frontier lines consciously choosen by Rome
- Geographical factors decide position – implies some kind of planning
- Use of natural features as well as artificial features for defence.
- Only went to war to secure peace in provinces.
- Reconstruction of Roman strategy relies on physical evidence and deduce strategy or tactics from locations etc.
- Contemporary authors did not think strategy, may well have had strategy but no systems analysis. We can try and piece it together. Did understand subtleties of deterrence etc. Luttwak thinks they knew about subtleties of defence etc, but why didn’t they talk about it?
- Interpretation of distribution of troops based on logical assumptions. If all we are told went to war to subdue and annex, how do we tell whether unexpressed doctrine of economy of force? Not just chasing a chimera but a Utopia. Yes well organised army and values, led to frontier management?
- Luttwak talks of logical well-defined system – insightful, but did it exist?
- Hypothesis – system existed to defend and enhance the security of the empire. Based on modern military and modern literature not on archaeological or written sources. Cannot prove or disprove – test basic assumptions
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