The Late Roman Empire’s and Byzantium’s Political Interests in the Pont Region

Abstract

In the late antiquity Rome was compeled to give permanent attention to the barbarian peoples, because they seriously threatened the Roman state, and sometimes it was impossible to eliminate this threat with military force. The Romans tried to use diplomatic methods and to remove possible danger by strange hands. They led out their troops across the frontier very seldom. In the 4th — 6th centuries we know only one roman’s vindictive expedition against the Goths. The Romans used ancient principle of the foreign policy “divide et impera!”. They not only prevented the formation of alliances of tribes, but also set that tribes against each other. The contacts of the Roman Empire, and then Byzantium with the tribes and peoples of the Pontic region become direct, since there were no possible intermediaries in relations with the barbarians, and the vital interests of the state required an active foreign policy.