Caracalla by Ilkka Syvnne
Caracalla has one of the worst reputations of any Roman Emperor. Many ancient historians were very hostile and Edward Gibbon later dubbed him the common enemy of mankind. Yet his reign was considered by at least one Roman author to be the apogee of the Roman Empire. Guilty of many murders and massacres (including his own brother, ex-wife and daughter) he was, however, popular with the army, improving their pay and cultivating the image of sharing their hardships. Surprisingly this is the first full-length biography of this colourful character in English. Ilkka Syvanne explains how the biased ancient sources in combination with the stern looking statues of the emperor have created a distorted image of the man and then reconstructs the actual events, particularly his military campaigns and reforms, to offer a balanced view of his reign. The biography offers the first complete overview of the policies, events and military campaigns of the reign and explains how and why these contributed to the military crisis of the third century.
Dr. Ilkka Syv nne gained his doctorate in history in 2004 from the University of Tampere in his native Finland. Since then he has written extensively about ancient and medieval warfare and his publications include: The Age of Hippotoxotai, Art of War in Roman Military Revival and Disaster 491-636 (Tampere UP 2004), the multivolume Military History of Late Rome published by Pen & Sword and the critically acclaimed studies of the third century Roman emperors (Caracalla, Gordian III and Philip the Arab, Gallienus, Aurelian and Probus) also published by Pen & Sword. In the past he has served as Vice Chairman of the Finnish Society for Byzantine Studies and as Affiliated Professor of the University of Haifa. He lives in Kangasala, Finland.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781399074827 |
| ISBN 10 | 1399074822 |
| Title | Caracalla |
| Author | Ilkka Syvnne |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pen & Sword Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2022-04-12 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |