Maximinus Thrax by Paul N. Pearson

Author:Paul N. Pearson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Ancient / Rome
ISBN: 9781473847040
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2016-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

Trouble in the East

Africa was not the only place experiencing violence, because with impeccable timing, Ardashir went on the attack. Having disbanded most of his great army after the war of 232, the great king of kings must have viewed the ensuing uprisings along the Rhine and Danube with relish, as crack Roman and allied units were drained away from the border zone to fight distant barbarians. There had been no hurry on his part to renew the Roman war: in fact he had had a similar pressing need to subdue turbulent tribes around the far fringes of his own mighty empire. But in 237, with Maximinus and the main Roman army still engaged in Sarmatia, Ardashir evidently decided the time was ripe for a new campaign against the big enemy and started mobilizing en masse. No doubt his men were spoiling for a fight: that the foe could be beaten had been proven, and that they were weaker in the east than in 232, with their most experienced generals absent, was obvious.

The parallels between the two great leaders, Ardashir and Maximinus, are striking, beyond the simple fact that both had overturned previous dynasties and were hungry for conquests beyond their traditional borders. Both relied on their martial reputations to establish them in the eyes of the people, in contrast to the weakness of previous regimes. Both were skilled and calculating generals, consummate in the art of war and ruthless against all opposition. Ardashir was accompanied on campaign by his princely son called Shapur, just as Maximinus shared his command with Maximus, each young man embodying the promise of a long dynasty.

Ardashir seems to have set limited but firm strategic objectives for his campaign of 238. This was not going to be another raid, instead he aimed to take and hold territory that was currently part of Roman Mesopotamia, pushing the Romans back up the Euphrates and developing a new line of fortifications that could subsequently provide a launch pad for an invasion of Syria. For two centuries the Romans had advanced, bit by bit, down the Euphrates and their progress had seemed inexorable. Now Ardashir aimed to turn this tide. And by once again making war on the Romans, he would reinforce his supposed ancestral claim to all of Asia, including the eastern third of the Roman Empire.

The main target of his attack was the area of the Chaboras (Khabur) River, the principal tributary of the upper Euphrates. This river was flanked by extensive tracts of irrigated lands, including idyllic vineyards and orchards, and was dotted with many prosperous towns and villages. Stacks of military papyri discovered in the sand of Dura Europos in the early twentieth century tell us that many of the smaller settlements in the area were fortified with little detachments of soldiers to keep order. Retired army officers were wont to buy up parcels of land here and live out their remaining days farming and trading around the riverbank in the cradle of civilization. The

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