Suchergebnisse

In 438, at the initiative of Emperor Theodosius II, one of the most significant legislative collections of the late Roman Empire, the Codex Theodosianus (Eng. Theodosian Code), was published, which is a valuable source on the social history of the Roman state in Late Antiquity. Based on the data of the Codex Theodosianus and Novellae of Emperors, the author of the article reconstructs the most important components of the social status of Roman senators of the fourth century BC. It is revealed that in the view of the emperor and the compilers of the Theodosian Code, the senatorial aristocracy was thought of as the highest class of the Roman Empire. Several factors influenced the status of Roman senators. Following a "suitable" way of life and proper performance of political functions determined the position of the senator in society and formed his reputation not only in the eyes of the emperor, but also in the eyes of his community, as well as other classes. The way a person got into the ranks of the senatorial aristocracy also affected the status. So, it was not so much the origin that was important, but the observance of legality in obtaining titles, and, in the case of decurions, the legitimacy of the transition from one estate to another. Finally, the possession of the patrimony and ensuring its proper functioning guaranteed the full and timely payment of taxes by the senators, and in the eyes of the ruler was important for maintaining the high status of the senatorial aristocracy. Unlike legislation, reality was more complex. Thus, the social status was influenced by a much larger number of components (for example, the acceptance or rejection of a Roman aristocrat by the city plebs), moreover, the proper fulfillment by the senator of all the requirements put forward by the imperial power did not always lead him to success in political activity.

This article considers the question of whether the Roman state was thalassocratic during the period of the Gothic-Byzantine wars of 535–554. Based on the narrative sources from the fifth and sixth centuries, primarily, the information from the writings of Procopius of Caesarea, the author of the article studies data on the time of appearance, the size of the fleet, the types of ships that the Gothic tribes had in the mid-sixth century, as well as the methods of conducting naval battles the Goths used in the Mediterranean in the face of a lack of relevant experience and skills. The author concludes that even though before the start of the wars, the Goths had warships at their disposal, they were clearly not enough to compete with the Romans, therefore, during the reign of Vitiges, the war was predominantly waged on land. The maritime hegemony of the Romans was undeniable. According to Procopius of Caesarea, the fleet was most actively used in the conflict during the reign of the Gothic ruler Totila. For some time, he managed to compensate for the lack of experience in naval battles with thoughtful tactics. The Goths pursued a policy of establishing control over the most important ports and straits of the Mediterranean. Trying to avoid full-fledged clashes with the Romans, the barbarians successfully blocked the supply of food and additional contingents to Italy. However, the information provided by Procopius should be treated with caution, since his writings are full of elements of anti-Justinian propaganda and attempts to discredit the ruler. In fact, the Goths dominated the seas as much as the Romans allowed them to. In connection with the above, it is impossible to speak of the completion of the Roman thalassocracy in the Mediterranean in the mid-sixth century. The Romans retained control of the maritime and coastal regions of the Mediterranean.