L’armée romaine tardive dans quelques travaux récents 1re Partie. L’institution militaire et les modes de combat

Abstract

This is the first of two survey articles (the second will appear in the next issue) considering several publications – both books and articles – which have appeared in the last five or six years, on the subject of the late Roman and early Byzantine army. The appearance of recent overall studies (Lee, Nicasie, Elton, Dixon and Southern on the 3rd-6th centuries; Haldon and Treadgold on the Byzantine period) reflects the contribution of detailed studies in this area. Now that attitudes towards Late Antiquity are generally more appreciative, military matters may be considered more positively. This reassessment is applied in various areas – the real impact of barbarisation (Liebeschuetz, Nicasie, Elton), or the functioning of a ‘two-speed’ army (Nicasie, Dixon and Southern). This allows new and interesting perspectives – such as Elton’s comparison between the military customs of the barbarians and the Romans, or the attempts, undertaken by Nicasie, or Dixon and Southern, to study the relationship of technical developments to changes in tactics. In general. these studies of the Roman military machine place far less emphasis on its degeneration than earlier authors. The continuity between the Roman and Byzantine armies is presented in two contrasting and complementary ways by Treadgold, concentrating on the technical aspects (tactical organisation, pay and manpower, military budget) and Haldon, studying the adaptation of the army to the society around it. Their conception of the moment of change differs: Treadgold sees continuity into the 11thcentury, while Haldon emphasises the transformations of the 7th century, although he places as late as 840 the full impact of the so-called theme system. On many points, the description of the Byzantine situation could benefit from a deeper knowledge of the Late Roman military system and legal discipline, which might produce a clearer understanding of some aspects of the transition.