Eric McGeer
Författare till Sowing the Dragon's Teeth: Byzantine Warfare in the Tenth Century
Om författaren
Eric McGeer teaches Latin and history at St. Clement's School in Toronto
Verk av Eric McGeer
Associerade verk
Taggad
Allmänna fakta
- Namn enligt folkbokföringen
- McGeer, Eric Manfred
- Födelsedag
- 1955
- Kön
- male
- Nationalitet
- Canada
- Utbildning
- Trinity College, Toronto
Université de Montréal - Yrken
- Teacher
Medlemmar
Recensioner
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Associerade författare
Statistik
- Verk
- 10
- Även av
- 1
- Medlemmar
- 100
- Popularitet
- #190,120
- Betyg
- 4.0
- Recensioner
- 2
- ISBN
- 16
The second takes these treatises as the starting point for a wider consideration of Byzantine warfare in the later tenth and early eleventh centuries - a period marked by great reconquests in the Balkans, Anatolia and Syria under the soldier emperors Nikephoros Phokas (yes, the author of one of the treatises), John Tzimiskes, and Basil II "the Bulgar-Slayer". Citing many instances from Byzantine and Arab chronicles of Byzantine commanders following the precepts of the treatises, and stressing that both Nikephoroses were veteran commanders who knew very well what they were writing of, McGeer argues that the treatises are eminently practical texts reflecting what was actually done rather than armchair theorizing.
Highly interesting - I wish my edition of the ca AD 600 Strategicon came with this sort of commentary - and an obvious recommendation to anyone interested in the subject. My only complaint concerns the faintly bizarre circumstance that the Arab chronicles are quoted in French translation - a language of which my command is limited to put it mildly.… (mer)