Whittow – making of orthodox byzantium
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Strategic Geography of Near East

·        The Balkans – difficulty of routes etc, not a natural political unit

·        Not agricultural wealthy – too many mountains, but some plains prone to drought.  Suited to small autonomous states.  Larger units short lived or imposed from outside

·        Thrace and Lower Danube major agric - extensively used under Ottomans to fed C. 0 agric. Base Bulgaria and Romania - these plains have potential for agricultural wealth and basis of political power.

The Steppes

·        Small nomadic units on the hugely dry / cool Eurasian steppes – middle Ages great political powers.

·        Most powerful force pre-gunpowder age – when grouped together – like Huns and Monguls very effective and broker West and problematic to East – why Steppes important.

·        Easily fragmented back o nomadic roots, withhold first attack second no probem

·        Remounts basis power – Hungarian plain not big enough for grazing, so needed to change life if to stay there

Anatolia and Iran

·        Nomads blocked to the south as well – formidable barriers to communication etc.  Favourable to east – west rather than north-south

·        Iran more suited to nomadic existence than Anatolia, but neither had big enough plains to sustain large nomadic power.

·        Anatolia and Iran seen as heartlands of respective empire, but agriculturally little more than self-sufficient – food had to come from elsewhere

The Agricultural Plains

·        Asia Minor – facing Aegean Sea – v wealthy as seen by Roman remains – Iraq fulfils this role like Asia Minor equiv. Iraq – Mesopotamia – Tigris and Euphrates

·        Some of Fertile Crescent irrigated, but a lot over 200 mm a yesr

The Desert

·        Population desert poor and small before discovery of oil

·        Bedouin tribes in some way self-sufficient but always bounded to more wealthy neighbours in the Fertile Crescent – land not important, but people who lived their were.

·        Enjoyed raiding and difficult relationship with settled people – state of permanent peace would have been foreign economically and culturally to the Bedouin.

·        However raiding not disastrous for settling community – did have more horses, although camel effective tool throughout Near East

·        Pre oil Arabia state less society – even tribal leaders limited power, impact fragmentary society could have on powers of fertile crescent is very limited.

·        Power to become states – tribal confederations and so forth, round oases etc, but tribal in fighting.  Nature of desert that need to split up – n surplus to reward power etc, unless surplus found.  No surprise Arab states usually based around places near the fertile plain.  Only asset to world of desert to achieve unity and wealth is military ability.

Other Notes in this Category

1. Anastiasius between persia and mediterranean
2. Attempts at Disengagement with the alliance with Persia
3. Byzantium between the mediterranean and fertile crescent
4. epilogue: justinian and the reconquest of the mediterranean
5. Key Points
6. Marcian and leo i between eprsia and the mediterranean
7. Pirenne and the Mediterranean
8. Strategic Geography
9. The crisis of 441-42 and the byzantine political dilemma
10. the mare nostrum as an economic, political and cultural entity in greek and latin sources
11. The mediterranean and financial liabilites towards persia
12. The mediterranean and the literary tradition of the roman world
13. The mediterranean and the literary tradition of the roman world
14. The vandals and the decline of mediterranean navigation
15. Theodoisus ii, yazdgard i and the mediterranean
16. Two great powers in Late antiquity : A comparison
17. Whittow – making of orthodox byzantium

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