symmachus: never has any man written so much to say so little from Cesar time, the trade routes and action bipassed Rome in favor of constantinople-danube-rhine axis. The emperor needed to be present there to facilitate effective control Also two emperors, occasionally 4 were neded to govern tye empire Milan/Trier became more important, Rome senate less important: emperors steadily eroded its powet. Beauteacrats that followed the emperor gained in number and prestige at the rxpense of romean senate. Another mirror senate apeared in Constantinople Roman two stage education:(latin) grammar 6-7 yrars of study and interpretation of classic latin literature. tge several years of rethoric school: public and written speaking. This schooling is exported to outside provinces and became the mark of edicated elite regardless of ethnicity Battle of Teutonburg Forest 9ad: destruction ov three getman legions Varus, Arminius Jastorf culture vs celtic culture The Empire border is settled on the Rhine because the lands beyond it were not productive enough to conquer Themistius - spin doctor of the roman empire negotiation of Valens and Athanaric Persia - Achemenid Empire: 550 - 330 bc - Selecid - Parthuan 427bc - 224 ad - Sasanian/Sasanid Empire 224-651ad ulfilas: gothic bible author escape from curias: readjustment of control from local town to provincial bureacrats taxation, to some level, causes more intensive cultivation: peasants are forced to work hader most of roman agriculture: slightly above subsistence level 4th century: seems the most prosperous and densely populated times, italy may be the exception, wasnt taxed fir a while and was eventually outcompeded by provincial producers Goths were willing to fight and forgo trade with the Roman Empire for the right not to send their troops to fight Persians Huns horse archers recurve vs straight limb bow composite vs self bow asymmetric bow Gothic groups: Thervingi, Greuthungi Chernyalov vs Schmersk populations rodagasis revolt in endland that took over gallic france, Constantine III vandals marched through gaul and settled in spain Flavius Stillicho vs. Alaric goths under Alaric gently sacked rome as a way to pressure to get recognition from the roman state, then located in ravenna Honorius Augustine's "City of God" Constantius Flavius Placidia Vandal&Alan's conquest of North Africa, Carthage: 3d largest city of the roman empire: Gaiseric Aeteus palimsest Attila the Hun's incursion into the Danube region made the expeditionary force of the Eastern Western Roman Empire stop their attack on the vandals in North Africa Alans and sarmatians were persian-speaking Huns, unlike goths were capable of storming walled cities Atilla unified huns, tuned them from nomads into raiders, monopolized tribute from roman state, used germanic tribes as his soldiers Atilla the Hun died of birst blood vessel on one of his first nights Huns state quickly disintegrated after the death of Atilla, successor groups fought for control and caused trouble for the empire. Plus had to keep tropps while spain and north afrika slipped further from empire's grasp struggle for power after the assasination of Aeteus by Valentinian III Gaiseric attempt to recapture North Africa by Basiliscus, East Roman Emperor Sedonius Euric, the visigoth king roman landowners supporting barbarian kings to preserve their posessions Anthemius, Ricimer thesis: germanic barbarians behind the rhine were driven to organization by interaction with roman empire itself: raiding, trade, defence, service, slaves.