08-01-2007, 11:26 PM
You may find this book interesting. I'm certainly going to buy it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Justinians-Flea ... 0224073699
Here is a reviewers comment:
Justinian's Flea tells you about the decay of the Roman Empire, its gradual drift towards its eastern limits, the rise of Justinian, Justinian's accomplishments in expanding the empire and developing culture, the rise of the Persian Empire, the Bubonic Plague that ravaged the Roman and Persian empires, and the challenges that the expansion of Islam brought for the Roman and Persian empires. Mr. Rosen uses that information to argue that independent European nations developed sooner than they might have otherwise due to the combined effects of the plague and Islamic military expansion.
Most people know about the Black Death (caused by Bubonic Plague) that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages. But fewer people know that the earlier sixth century version was even more deadly. The sixth century Bubonic Plague also returned in 15 to 20 year cycles, wiping out vast segments of the young people. While the overall loss of life was about one-third of the population from the first incidence alone, the effect on sailors and those who lived in close communities (such as monasteries) was even more dramatic . . . affecting commerce and learning for some time to come.
Mr. Rosen draws generously on the latest scientific research provide a meticulous account of how the plague came to have such wide effects. I thought that it was fascinating and provided many new thoughts about the disease risks of having temperatures fluctuate more than usual.
That material, however, doesn't occur until the second half of the book. Unless you always wanted to know more about the fall of the Roman Empire and Justinian, you may get more information than you planned on for that aspect of the book. That was certainly true in my case having studied Roman history and Justinian in detail before. However, I felt rewarded by Mr. Rosen's style of using examples from the last few decades to bring the ancient examples to life.
Mr. Rosen's main thesis isn't totally persuasive. Although Justinian's reign brought the Roman Empire to new heights of accomplishment, most emperors who preceded and followed him weren't worth much. No matter how strong a nation is, poor leadership will soon sap its strength. Consider how much the Vietnam war economically weakened the United States in the
1960s. Look at how much the invasion of Iraq has driven up oil prices. The Roman Empire was continually under attack from various groups of invaders. That would have continued. Military success under Justinian mainly depended on guile and genius . . . rather than having much force to spread around. Clearly, the plague made the empire weaker than it would have been. But it might well have reached that level just a few generations later anyway, especially since Justinian didn't do a very good job of providing for leadership continuity.
I also think that in comparing the Roman Empire to the Chinese empire Mr. Rosen is too quick to make the two as being similar without considering all of the cultural forces in favor of preserving unity and heritage in the Chinese civilization.
Historians are fond of saying that each generation needs to rewrite history to make it understandable based on its own experiences. I think that Justinian's Flea makes that case more profoundly . . . because rapid advances in science often mean that we can see history more accurately now than prior generations could. That's certainly the case for the sixth century plague.
If you just want to read about the plague, start on page 163 and stop on page 268.
Mr. Rosen isn't a traditional historian. He writes in too interesting a way to have come from that guild. I hope you'll enjoy his efforts as much as I did.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Justinians-Flea ... 0224073699
Here is a reviewers comment:
Justinian's Flea tells you about the decay of the Roman Empire, its gradual drift towards its eastern limits, the rise of Justinian, Justinian's accomplishments in expanding the empire and developing culture, the rise of the Persian Empire, the Bubonic Plague that ravaged the Roman and Persian empires, and the challenges that the expansion of Islam brought for the Roman and Persian empires. Mr. Rosen uses that information to argue that independent European nations developed sooner than they might have otherwise due to the combined effects of the plague and Islamic military expansion.
Most people know about the Black Death (caused by Bubonic Plague) that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages. But fewer people know that the earlier sixth century version was even more deadly. The sixth century Bubonic Plague also returned in 15 to 20 year cycles, wiping out vast segments of the young people. While the overall loss of life was about one-third of the population from the first incidence alone, the effect on sailors and those who lived in close communities (such as monasteries) was even more dramatic . . . affecting commerce and learning for some time to come.
Mr. Rosen draws generously on the latest scientific research provide a meticulous account of how the plague came to have such wide effects. I thought that it was fascinating and provided many new thoughts about the disease risks of having temperatures fluctuate more than usual.
That material, however, doesn't occur until the second half of the book. Unless you always wanted to know more about the fall of the Roman Empire and Justinian, you may get more information than you planned on for that aspect of the book. That was certainly true in my case having studied Roman history and Justinian in detail before. However, I felt rewarded by Mr. Rosen's style of using examples from the last few decades to bring the ancient examples to life.
Mr. Rosen's main thesis isn't totally persuasive. Although Justinian's reign brought the Roman Empire to new heights of accomplishment, most emperors who preceded and followed him weren't worth much. No matter how strong a nation is, poor leadership will soon sap its strength. Consider how much the Vietnam war economically weakened the United States in the
1960s. Look at how much the invasion of Iraq has driven up oil prices. The Roman Empire was continually under attack from various groups of invaders. That would have continued. Military success under Justinian mainly depended on guile and genius . . . rather than having much force to spread around. Clearly, the plague made the empire weaker than it would have been. But it might well have reached that level just a few generations later anyway, especially since Justinian didn't do a very good job of providing for leadership continuity.
I also think that in comparing the Roman Empire to the Chinese empire Mr. Rosen is too quick to make the two as being similar without considering all of the cultural forces in favor of preserving unity and heritage in the Chinese civilization.
Historians are fond of saying that each generation needs to rewrite history to make it understandable based on its own experiences. I think that Justinian's Flea makes that case more profoundly . . . because rapid advances in science often mean that we can see history more accurately now than prior generations could. That's certainly the case for the sixth century plague.
If you just want to read about the plague, start on page 163 and stop on page 268.
Mr. Rosen isn't a traditional historian. He writes in too interesting a way to have come from that guild. I hope you'll enjoy his efforts as much as I did.
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
