“The Persians were applying inexorable pressure on what remained of the empire. Heraclius was faced with a stark choice: he could either wait for the Persian grip to tighten, fighting a series of rearguard actions which offered little chance for ultimate success, or he could throw caution to the wind and take battle to the enemy. He opted for the latter.”
— Peter Sarris, “The Roman Eastern Roman Empire (306-641)”,
in Cyril Mango’s (ed.) The Oxford History of Byzantium, p. 55.
(Just to let you know that I’m still alive, and that if you’ve got access to a proper library, should try to get your hands on the OHB and read Sarris’ excellent portrayal of Heraclius’ campagin against and Pyrrhic victory over the Sassanide Persians in the 7th century.
See ya around, someday! 
)
Posts
Well, hail to the lack of dead, then.
21. February 2008 @ 23:08 ( Permalink )
I was getting a wee bit worried, but Terje has always had the uncanny knack of waking up from his grave just before I start writing his obituary.
21. February 2008 @ 23:16 ( Permalink )