Episode 62: stilicho (part 2)

The barbarian invasions that Rome had to contend with during Stilicho’s regency.

Illyricum!

The Emperor Honorius and Maria, Stilicho’s daughter.

The progression of 402AD and Alaric’s invasion of Italy, from the siege of Mediolanium, to the major engagements with Stilicho at Polentia and Verona.

The crossing point of the Vandal/Suebi/Alan invasion on December 31st of 405 (or 406) at Mongotacium/Mainz.

Alaric’s final resting place, in the riverbed of the Busento.

Stilicho and wife Serena, courtesy of the Cathedral of Monza.

The Pineios river valley in Thessaly, site of Stilicho and Alaric’s second encounter.

Where we believe that Alaric was born, in modern Romania at the mouth of the Danube where it empties into the Black Sea, known then as Peuce Island.

Alaric (left) and Stilicho (right) as we imagined them in their prime with the help of ChatGPT.

Ambrose of Milan, in the flesh (or mosaic) - believed to be a contemporary image.

Nike!  The Greek goddess of victory, and perhaps, a copy of the statue that sat in the Roman Senate house.

Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan.

Ambrose, in the flesh! His remains in the Basilica that bears his name in Milan.

Ambrose, as we imagined him, denying communion to the Emperor Theodosius.

The site of Rome’s worst military disaster since Cannae and maybe just maybe, the worst Roman loss of all times - ADRIANOPLE.

The young Emperor Theodosius shortly after his accession.

The Roman Empire of Theodosius.

Vienne, the location of Valentinian II’s imperial capital and the site of his death, with relative proximity to Mediolanum

The Vipava river valley in modern Slovenia, named the Frigidus in ancient times, site of Theodosius’ fateful victory over the frankish general Arbogast.

Theodosius as we imagine him with the help of ChatGPT at the Battle of the Frigidus River.

The amphitheater at Italica in Hispania, just outside of Seville in modern Spain, birthplace (we think) of Theodosius, as well as Vespasian and Hadrian, a town founded by Scipio Africanus himself.

Where was Theodosius really from in Hispania?  There are competing claims, either Italica (down south near Seville) or Coca, two hours north east of Madrid.

THE WALL (Hadrian’s Wall to be exact).  To the north, the Picti and death, to the south, the civilized world.

The Roman fortress of Pevensey in East Sussex.

Theodosius’ crossing to Britannia, step one to taking back the island.

Theodosius’ landing spot in modern Algeria, first step to his successful campaign to bring Africa back into the fold, and to bring Romanus and Firmus to justice.

Valentian!  The man himself, shortly after his coronation.

Valentinian’s birthplace, ancient Cibalae, in modern Croatia.

Durocortorum, Gaul (Reims, in modern France), Valentinian’s launching point for his Rhine campaign.

Jovinus, Valentinian’s general, image from his sarcophagus, which can be found today in the city of Reims, France.

VALENTINIAN, the man, the myth, the legend and his BFF, the she-bear Innocentius.  Enough said?

Julian as a young Caesar….

Julian’s army at the Battle of Strasbourg.

Julian as we imagined him below the walls of Ctesiphon with the help of ChatGPT.

Arch of Augustus in Aosta, the old remaining Roman Arch?

Arch of Titus in Rome.

Arch of Trajan in Ancona.

Double Arch of Germanicus in Saintes, France.

Triple Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki.

Triple Arch of Constantine in Rome.

Constantine I - Rome’s first (at least at the very end) Christian Emperor.

The world that Constantine left behind.

Constantine, as we imagined him with the help of ChatGPT, being baptized on his deathbed.

The Milvian Bridge, as it exists today, site of Constantine’s great victory, Maxentius’ ignominious end…

Constantine’s labarum, when the world was introduced to the chi-rho at the head of the Roman legions, carried into battle.

Maxentius’ imperial regalia, on display at the Capitoline Museum.

The Basilica of Maxentius.

Constantia, wife of Licinius, sister of Constantine, pleading before her brother for her husband’s life (as we created with the help of ChatGPT).

As we imagined Constantine at his father’s side, as Constantius Chlorus lay on his deathbed at Eboracum (York).

Remnants of Constantine’s baths at Augusta Treverorum (modern Trier).

Constantine more or less how he looked in 306AD as Caesar in Trier, doing his thing on the Rhine, prepared to make his great run at the Tetrarchy.

Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius

Don’t mess with Fausta!

The amphitheater at Arles.

Our boy Constantine with that fantastic cleft chin and oversized, all seeing eyes!

Papa Constantius (Chlorus).  A surpremely competent and probably, a decent, guy….

Giddyup little Constantine!  This is how we imagined young Constantine as he fled from Nicomedia for Britannia, dashing to his ailing father’s bedside.

Diocletian & Maximian!!!

THE TETRARCHS! This particularly cool sculpure of the four original tetrarchs: Diocletian and Galerius in the East, and Maximian and Constantius Chlorus in the West, was stolen by the members of the 4th Crusade after they sacked Constantinople, nice friendly gesture, and taken back to Venice where it stands today, very visible on one of the outside corners of St. Mark’s Basilica.  

The original Tetrarchs’ four spheres of influence.

Narses, Persian king of kings.

Diocletian’s column in Alexandria.

Galerius vs. Narses on Galerius’ triumphal arch in Thessaloniki.

Diocletian’s birthplace at Salonica (near Split) in Croatia.

DIOCLES!  Not particularly handsome, but damn smart.  

Site of Battle of the Margus!!

Maximian, Diocletian’s original #2, or should we call him Loki, god of mischief???

Diocletian’s new capital at Nicomedia.

As we imagine Diocletian, on that hilltop outside Nicomedia, on the day that he struck Aper down dead, and he ascended to the purple.

Emperor Tacitus, former Princeps Senatus, poor dude, just lasted 6 months in office.  He was the Senate’s very last gasp putting one of their own in the purple.

PROBUS!

Probus presiding over the Red Feast, about to eliminate the conspirators who assassinated Aurelian in one fell swoop.

One of the most awesomely remarkable maps of the Roman Empire ever created.  Kudos to Sasha Trubetskoy, the genius behind it.  Buy it at sashmaps.net or on etsy. Sasha created this map of the Roman Empire. Like a subway style map of the Roman road system.

Servian Walls (blue) versus the new Aurelian Walls (Red).

Porta Asinaria in the Aurelian Walls.

Our image of Zenobia, leading the Palmyrene heavy cavalry forth, created with the help of Chat GPT.

Aurelian on one side (left), and Vaballathus on the other (right).

Aurelian’s route to his conquest of Zenobia and Palmyra.

The imperial palace at Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia).

Aurelian’s birthplace (both candidates, Sirmium and Dacia).

Aurelian!!! The man, the myth, the legend.

Aurelian and his wife, Ulpia Severina.

Diessen, birthplace (we think) of Postumus.

Postumus, Emperor of the Gallic Empire.

Porta Nigra, in modern Trier! Postumus’ capital.

Putting Palmyra onthe map into the context of all the craziness that was happening during the Crisis of the Third Century.  Look for it on the south east corner of the map, just past the edge of the Roman Empire, in the Syrian desert.

Palmyra’s Arch of Triumph, as it existed before being destroyed by Isis terrorists.

Palmyra as it sat at the terminus of the Silk Road.  

Septimius Odaenathus (maybe) in the flesh.

Odaenathus as CORRECTOR TOTIUS ORIENTUS, Righter of the Entire East! Not bad, for a little kid born in an oasis in the middle of nowhere.

Odaenathus’ area of complete control at the peak of his power - he has basically taken complete control, with the tacit consent of Emperor Gallienus, of the entire Roman East.

The Severan Family Tree - the last little vestige of stability, when they pulled this plug, down the drain we went.

Valerianus I - the trusted man, approved by all, who rose to the purple, made his son Gallienus co-augustus, then rode East to take the fight to Shapur.  Alas, Shapur took the fight to him, and he either ended life as a golden drinking vessel, a step stool, or as an honored guest of Shapur in Persia.

Emperor Gallienus, we don’t think he got nearly the credit he deserved from the Senatorial sources.  He was no Aurelian, but he sacrificed literally everything, his father, two sons, and his own life, trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Salonina, the Augusta.

Valerianus, captured by Shapur, humiliated, standing by Shapur on his horse.

Band-e Kaisar, the bridge in Persia likely built by Valerian’s captured troops (did Valerian himself oversee its construction).