It's the 7th century and the Romans now live in the Duchy of Rome, which is subservient to the Exarch of Ravenna, which is subservient to the emperor in Constantinople, who likewise authorizes the election of the Pontifex Romanus, whom all the Romans now take very seriously. This was also when the Senate becomes more and more irrelevant and eventually drops.
This all seems very fine and dandy from the outside but where are the legions? Where is the magister militum? Back when the Goths ran Ravenna, they at least managed to keep a firm soldiery and prevent foreign barbarians from sacking Italy. No offense.
Now, Ravenna did manage to hold on longer than Carthage, but it also wasn't anything to brag about. Those people surely must have felt proud to be part of the Roman empire, but if we recall, even in the days of Honorius and Valentinian there were strong leaders like Stilicho, Aetius, and Majorian.
In many ways, the exarchate was more sloppy than the western empire
The death of Aetius gives us a whole new period of Rome. The final closing chapter to the Western Empire. The office of magister militum (military master) perhaps reached its height in the years after he died.
The list usually goes like this.
- Remistus (Avitus)
- Flavius Ricimer (Majorian, Severus, Anthemius, Olybrius,)
- Flavius Gundobadus (Olybrius, Glycerius)
- Ecdicius Avitus (Nepos)
- Flavius Orestes (Nepos)
These men were the de facto head of government. When Valentinian gets killed, Petronius throws the whole empire into confusion. This was a perfect time for the Visigoths to try and put their preferred candidate in Ravenna and indeed they had a big role in it because they supported Eparchius Avitus, a military general in Gaul. From then on Rome was a pariah of a state.
Avitus's son, Ecdicius Avitus, would eventually serve also as magister militum under Nepos, an emperor with total support from Constantinople. But how and why Nepos switched Avitus for Orestes, I don't know. It could perhaps be that maybe Orestes just had more military experience and this was something Avitus didn't.
Ideally, it could have been that Nepos would have liked to use Orestes' skills and diplomacy in taking down the Visigoths or perhaps the Vandals.
Try not to just give a tiny answer, I am looking to learn some in-depth stuff I might not know about these fellas, and start a conversation about their pros/cons, and some nice little factoids. I know, I haven't given much myself, but I will flesh it out in the comments.
I am kind of on the fence with this. I love Caesar for being such a military genius, but also loathe his absolute atrocities, and the fact he was a tyrant (in the Greek form, he seemed to be a decently lenient man for a dictator). Probably overall, I gotta go with Marius, if I can just ignore those last few years of his life, just for the Marian Reforms, Cimbric War and Social War. It is really hard to pick a favorite...Marcus Aurelius is definitely up there, Septimius Severus is too, Africanus was a baller.
I'm a novice entering Byzantine history, and finding quickly that the term means what it does in modern days for a reason! Maurice's reign is utterly fascinating me, and I'm wondering if there's any sources on one of his commanders, Philippicus, that my google-fu missed, in the print world.
As an aside, Maurice seems to be a real pivotal figure in Western history who is basically not talked about, obviously from my layperson's viewpoint. Amazing reading!
Iβm selling my Bessa R3A that I just got back from a viewfinder and focus patch alignment. Shutter speed is true and the camera is reliable and in very good condition with very little sign of wear or use even on the rubber grips . All light seals are intact, light meter works accurately, shutter is in great condition and viewfinder is crystal clear. Has 40/50/75/90 frame lines.
Please comment before PM. Thank you!
https://imgur.com/a/LbdAlEh
Hi all,
So after finally saving up enough to get a good quality rangefinder. I'm looking for a good M mount camera for 35mm.
I mostly shoot 35 or 50 for street photography so I was leaning towards a Leica m2 or a Voigtlander Bessa R2. Which one would you recommend ?
Thanks !
Iβm in the early stages of research, but I have an itch for a quality rangefinder. Iβd like the camera to have:
- built in light meter
- great viewfinder
- interchangeable lens
- cost (with a lens) $1500 or below
So far the two main contenders are the Voigtlander Bessa R2a and Minolta CLE. The Minolta seems to be a great compact size and more affordable in that price range, with a great 40mm f/2 lens. But Iβm a bit concerned about the 35+ year old electronics at the end of their service life.
Iβve considered and ruled out the Hexar RF or anything from Leica.
Iβve read as much as I could on the internet, YouTube, etc. Iβd love to hear opinions if you have them? Thanks!
PRICE: $1000
Hello! This Bessa R2M is in great condition. The light meter is non-functional, which is the way itβs been since I got it. Everything feels solid in the hands and all the dials and shutter curtain work well. The lens has always had a clear UV filter so the glass is in very good condition but the manual focus ring does make a scratching noise due to sand getting trapped from a trip to a sandy area. Itβs a beautiful lens and it feels right at home on a Bessa so Iβd like to keep it together with the body.
https://imgur.com/a/UxBi4cI
Clean Bessa R2A, fully functional. Clean viewfinder, no scratches.
New eyepiece, comes with red release shutter button and batteries.
SOLD
Photos:
https://imgur.com/a/w3iHXie
#rangefinder #film #leica #35mm #camera
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