Justinian’s Men: Careers and Relationships of Byzantine Army Officers, 518–610, by David Alan Parnell

Abstract

David Alan Parnell describes the eastern Roman army of the sixth century, especially in the Age of Justinian, as ‘a complex web of social relationships’ (p. 1) and ‘a collection of identities’ (p. 3). Following an introduction, seven chapters elucidate the key structural features of the army. The author’s reflections on the ‘Byzantine Army Structure’ (pp. 13–31) are introductory in nature, serving to inform the reader about the structure and operation of the military forces in the sixth century. Among other subjects, Parnell discusses the role of foederati, who, under Justinian, had largely lost their character as ethnically non-Roman and now appeared ‘somewhat like special forces’ (p. 16). With respect to recruitment, the author favours a rather optimistic view: ‘In summary, it seems plausible to conclude that there are no truly sufficient grounds for claiming that the imperial government faced a significant manpower shortage in its efforts to recruit men into the army’ (pp. 27ff.). This attitude is somewhat surprising in the light of recent intense discussions of the considerable demographic effects of the ‘Justinianic Plague’ and its consequences for the capacity of the Eastern Roman Empire to defend itself. The author does not discuss the related question of financial difficulties (illustrated by repeated complaints about outstanding unpaid wages in the sixth century) until much later (cf. pp. 169ff.). Against this background, Parnell’s conjecture that recruitment was normally voluntary under Justinian by reason of an adequate demographic basis (p. 28) is unconvincing.