Vandal Heaven: Reinterpreting Post-Roman North Africa
()
About this ebook
North Africa was one of the richest parts of the Roman Empire, the agricultural powerhouse of the Mediterranean. It was also home to some of the emperor’s biggest imperial estates, and prosperous cities of all kinds. Its loss to the Vandals in the first half of the 5th century AD was the mortal blow which both precipitated the fall of the western empire, and set the eastern empire back for decades. Its reconquest then became an obsession with each new emperor in Constantinople. Time and again the eastern Romans failed in this goal, until Justinian I finally succeeded in the AD 530s. Although North Africa’s restoration to the world of Rome only lasted a short time, it has widely been regarded as a positive development.
However, new research—published here for the first time—shows that post-Roman North Africa thrived under the Vandals. To them it was Vandal heaven, a place where they found a way as the new incumbent elite to live comfortably alongside the late Roman inhabitants, despite their different interpretations of Christianity. Together, the two cultures flourished.
When the eastern Romans – now styled Byzantines – returned, they weren’t welcome. This is evidenced in the surviving built environments of this new period of North African history, namely chains of small forts along the frontier and interior, where the Byzantines used mounted troops to keep an unhappy local population under control.
Dr Elliott not only presents a brand-new interpretation of post-Roman North Africa, but makes the case that the Arab Conquest was so successful in this region because the Byzantine overlords were so unpopular. Furthermore his argument explains how the region today came to be part of the Arab world, in contrast to the regions along the northern Mediterranean freeboard, which maintain their Roman-ness to this day.
Simon Elliott
Dr Simon Elliott is an award-winning and best-selling archaeologist, historian and broadcaster. He has written numerous books on themes related to the classical world and military history, and frequently appears on broadcast media as a presenter and expert. Amongst others, his books published by Casemate Publishers include Ancient Greeks at War (2021), Old Testament Warriors (2021) and Romans at War (2020). He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology, Ambassador for Museum of London Archaeology, President of the Society of Ancients, and Guide Lecturer for Andante Travels and Hidden History Travel.
Read more from Simon Elliott
The Fall of Roman Britain: and Why We Speak English Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoman Conquests: Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoman Britain's Pirate King: Carausius, Constantius Chlorus and the Fourth Roman Invasion of Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOld Testament Warriors: The Clash of Cultures in the Ancient Near East Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient Greeks at War: Warfare in the Classical World from Agamemnon to Alexander Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoman Britain's Missing Legion: What Really Happened to IX Hispana? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roman Legionaries: Soldiers of Empire Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roman Warriors: The Paintings of Graham Sumner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Septimius Severus in Scotland: The Northern Campaigns of the First Hammer of the Scots Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRomans at War: The Roman Military in the Republic and Empire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJulius Caesar: Rome's Greatest Warlord Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSea Eagles of Empire: The Classis Britannica and the Battles for Britain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roman Special Forces and Special Ops: Speculatores, Exploratores, Protectores and Areani in the Service of Rome Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlexander the Great versus Julius Caesar: Who was the Greatest Commander in the Ancient World? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmpire State: How the Roman Military Built an Empire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Legacy of Rome: How the Roman Empire Shaped the Modern World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Battles of the Early Roman Empire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Vandal Heaven
Related ebooks
The Life of Charles the Great Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Works of Stanley Lane Poole Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWillem Adriaan Van Der Stel, and Other Historical Sketches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMohammed and Charlemagne Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cambridge Medieval History - Book VI: Western Europe in the Dark Ages Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rise and Collapse of the Roman Empire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe French Revolution: Including the History of the French Monarchy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Conquistadors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A History of Italy 476-1600 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of Florence and Of the Affairs Of Italy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe History of Ancient Rome: Book IV: The Revolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsItaly and Her Invaders: Volume VII - The Frankish Invasions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Spanish Painting Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe French Revolution (Illustrated Edition): Including the History of the French Monarchy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short History of Italy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vandals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Medieval Projects: You Can Build Yourself Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWith Spurs of Gold Heroes of Chivalry and their Deeds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA History of the Germanic Empire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life of Charlemagne (Charles the Great) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory of the Middle Ages Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe History of French Revolution: Including the History of the French Monarchy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Barbary Pirates Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crusades: Iron Men and Saints Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory of the Fourth Crusade Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsItaly and Her Invaders Volume VI: The Lombard Kingdom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works of Thomas Hodgkin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeptimius Severus & the Roman Army Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A History of the Germanic Empire Volume 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife in the Roman World of Nero and St. Paul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Ancient History For You
The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Art of Living: The Classical Mannual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Troy: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ancient Guide to Modern Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Iliad of Homer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mythos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holy Bible: From the Ancient Eastern Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sex and Erotism in Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Histories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Visionary: The Mysterious Origins of Human Consciousness (The Definitive Edition of Supernatural) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sumerians: A History From Beginning to End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User's Manual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 1) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"America is the True Old World" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paul: A Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of the Jews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When Jesus Became God: The Epic Fight over Christ's Divinity in the Last Days of Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Secrets of the Freemasons: The Truth Behind the World's Most Mysterious Society Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When God Had a Wife: The Fall and Rise of the Sacred Feminine in the Judeo-Christian Tradition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future---Updated With a New Epilogue Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Phantom Atlas: The Greatest Myths, Lies and Blunders on Maps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hero Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related categories
Reviews for Vandal Heaven
0 ratings0 reviews