World

Such growth meant that central government could know local affairs, and thus meddle in them, with much greater accuracy and timeliness than ever before. It was possible for the first time not only to...

Justin remained on the throne for almost nine years, but he was neither young nor forceful nor well connected nor well educated. The younger and evidently ambitious Justinian was reasonably assumed to hold the...

Galerius, however, had no intention of offering refuge to the old troublemaker, so Maximian was forced to flee again, this time to Arles, where Constantine received his fatherinlaw with all the deference due his...

At Arles the Massilotes had built an important trading station in the time of the early Phoenicians, before the luckless Queen Dido of Tyre had founded Carthage on the African coast to the south....

“There is no hurry,” he assured her. “I plan to remain in Arles for a while; it will be easier to keep in touch with events in Italy from there.” Both of them understood...

The sermon was quickly finished and the people filed out. The Empress and Lady Valeria went down an aisle along one side of the almost empty room, however, and knelt in prayer before the...

“I am no soothsayer, as the priests of Apollo claim to be.” Eusebius appeared to take no umbrage at his words or manner. “But I can tell you this: whatever God’s purpose for you...

“With the army Galerius will lead against them this time, they will be too busy to destroy abandoned buildings,” Constantine assured him. “In less than a year, the place should be back in Roman...

“The Emperor was concerned about the arsenal at Damascus,” Constantine explained. “And he wanted to know what is really happening on the Persian frontier.”“The arsenal should be safe, for the moment. Narses will be...

Again there was a brief colloquy, at the end of which Josiah reported: “He knows of a caravan route to the neighborhood of Circesium that is little used, sir. The way is rough, though...