Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture
@_Dragases_
Oct 22, 2023 • 11 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
Scrolly
True Tolkien aficionados and art historians will find much to be annoyed about. But Στέλιος Καρέλλας on FB had AI render scenes from Lord the Rings as Byzantine mosaics, and I think it's glorious.

1. Gandalf VS Balrog Image
2. Image
3. Image
4. Image
5. Image
6. Image
7. Image
8. Image
9. Image
10. Image
11. Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele

Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @_Dragases_

Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture
Oct 24
1. Are we doing this?
We're totally doing this, right?
*Cracks knuckles*

After yesterday's thread on western Roman disintegration, buckle up now for a thread on eastern Roman resilience in the exact same period.
2. Firstly, we should always remember there were no separate, independent western and eastern Roman Empires. There was only a single Roman Empire, even after 395 CE, but with their own governments. Fergus Millar rightly described this as the "twin regimes" of the Empire. Image
3. This shows in documents such as The Notitia Dignitatum (which talks about western & eastern "parts"), but even more so in the law code compiled by Theodosius II and jointly promulgated with his cousin Valentinian III for the entire Empire. That said, they did differ as well. Image
Read 19 tweets
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture
Oct 23
1. Anyone dealing professionally with the topic better not check most of the answers in the thread (either downright xenophobic or hardly advanced on Gibbon in the 18th c). So here's a brief thread on an often overlooked factor in "The Fall of Rome": Internal violence.
2. The question by Steven is at least neatly formulated. But let's fine-tune it a bit more. After all, Justinian restored Imperial authority over several western regions (including the city of Rome), which in some cases lasted several centuries. In Apulia even half a millennium!
3. What we are ultimately dealing with is the dissolution of western Roman _emperorship_ This is something that will disappear by the end of the fifth century, never to return. When we talk about "the Fall of Rome", this is what is really at stake. So what happened? Image
Read 24 tweets
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture
Oct 2
1. Michael Kulikowski wrote in Imperial Tragedy (2019) that trying to find a year for 'Rome's Fall' is a parlour game. But one that can be good fun. What I'd like to offer here is some feedback to a well-meaning essay. Yet errata occur which do impact how we view 'the Fall'.
2. This is absolutely true. The same could be said about other states, empires or polities, all the way from Punic Carthage to the Crusader fiefdoms in the Levant to Nazi Germany. The Roman Empire, on the other hand, makes for a much more daunting case. Image
3. Yet this is a major misconception. The Roman Empire _never_ was divided in two "independent entities" (not even in 395). Constitutionally there was only ever a single Empire no matter if multiple emperors ruled with their own administrations.
'Mehrkaisertum' =/= more Empires. Image
Read 24 tweets
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture
Sep 30
1. I respect Bret's work a lot. We both agree that Musk couldn't be more wrong about non-citizens and the Roman army. But this bit is crucial to understand why Musk erred so much. A thread on 'Barbarians', the Late Roman Army and 'Are foreigners to blame for the Fall of Rome' ?
Image
2. Bret and I agree that already during the Roman Republic non-citizen soldiers played a crucial role in Rome's military. This is a staple throughout Roman history, from beginnings to end (= Byzantium). Scholarly consensus galore. Musk's original tweet was a racist dog whistle.
3. By comparing a contemporary event with the end of the Roman Empire, he basically suggests that if you let the foreigners into your military you will end up like the Roman Empire (i.e. kaput). As most people, he seems to think that both things synergized in the fifth century.
Read 28 tweets
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture
Aug 19
1. I taught Byzantine History for 7 years. A subject very dear to me. But just like its actual history, the literature can be incredibly tricky to navigate. What I offer here is definitely not a list "you must read to become an expert", but rather something to get you started.
2. For general surveys, Gregory's History of Byzantium is the most balanced. He covers all the era's and various domains (politics, economy etc). That said, even in the 2nd edition there are still a series of minor errors. But other surveys also have their virtues and vices. Image
3. Treadgold's survey is a veritable tome. He writes incredibly well, but can be quite polemic. He's also a maximalist when it comes down to the empire's institutions and forces, and what you can derive from the sources to reconstruct these. Still, an absolute classic. Image
Read 15 tweets
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele Profile picture
Aug 16
*Grimaces in Roman historian*
1. This caused much more of a ruckus than I'd anticipated. So some thoughts and alternatives. Firstly, there's nothing wrong with giving people interested in Roman history suggestions on where to start! The suggested list, however, is at risk of being two-dimensional at best.
2. What we have here are a collection of some hardcore translations (Loeb, sometimes a century old). Some very old novels/fiction (Yourcenar & Graves) which might give an incredibly skewered view. A tradebook (Holland) + two scholars (Beard and Straus). But that's not everything
Read 17 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(