The Crisis of the Third Century AD and Late Antiquity: Growing Pressure on the Northern and Eastern Frontiers Flashcards
general info
many revolts and wars took place in this period. often the roman armies had to fight at different frontier areas at the same time. this was a time in which Rome started to lose its supreme and unquestioned power.
the german areas
from 27 BC-AD 284 the German territory comprised of Scandinavia, northern and central Germany, western part of Poland and a majority of what is now the Netherlands.
the germans
they were rather like Celtic tribes. they, too, were led by nobles who ruled over kinship groups of serfs. they had a warrior chieftains. in terms of material culture, the germans were inferior to most Celtic tribes and they were also less prosperous.
german ‘armies’
while their weaponry was simple, it was quite effective for guerrilla warfare in german swamps and forests. during the course of the imperial age the germans borrowed and learned much from the Romans’ military organization. by AD 69 they had learned enough to start to pose a real threat to the Romans.
german religion
we are poorly informed as every aspect of their religious traditions was passed on orally.
changes around 200 and wars ensuing
the Goths had moved from Scandinavia to the southeastern German areas. around 238 they started to launch attacks on Roman empire which led to full-fledged wars.
between 267-271 in a war the Romans managed to finally subdue them but they had to give up Dacia in 271.
in the west further alliances and federations of german tribes emerged. between 253-282 the Romans were confronted with massive invasions from the west too. Romans gave up the territory between Rhine and Danube to the Alemanni.
in 259-260 Franks crossed Gaul, penetrated Spain, seized boats and plundered the shipping in the Mediterranean. at the same time Alemanni invaded Italy.
Probus restored order in Gaul and beat the germans back but did not recover lost territory.
this led to germanization of some border areas.
the Sassanid empire.
in 226 the Persians defeated the Parthians and assumed control over the Parthian empire. this new empire lasted until about 640. the court appears to have been more centralized and expanded in size. Zoroastrian religion was very important. the Sassanid’s better organizational skills posed a threat to Rome. it was justified as the Persians became aggressive in their foreign politics.
between 230-283 there were major wars between Romans and Persians, with Romans having difficulties. only under Diocletian did Romans win victories that forced the Persians to abandon their campaigns for the coming years.
