This is the first in-depth historical study of Byzantine Cappadocia. The authors draw on extensive textual and archaeological materials to examine the nature and place of Cappadocia in the Byzantine Empire from the fourth through eleventh centuries.

Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia

History

Decker, Michael J.

Cooper, Eric.

Ancient Civilizations

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

Paperback,CR 2002 Michael J. Decker,Beyond the Walls Ministry Canyon, Texas,Crossroad Publishing Co.,

From the heart of thunder to the color of grace: The story of how God transformed a convicted murdered into a minister!

Beyond the walls prison ministry

This is the first in-depth historical study of Byzantine Cappadocia. The authors draw on extensive textual and archaeological materials to examine the nature and place of Cappadocia in the Byzantine Empire from the fourth through eleventh centuries.

The Byzantine Dark Ages explores current debates about the sudden transformation of the Byzantine Empire in the wake of environmental, social and political changes. Those studying the Byzantine Empire, the successor to the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, have long recognized that the mid-7th century CE ushered in sweeping variations in the way of life of many inhabitants of the Mediterranean world, with evidence of the decline of the size and economic prosperity of cities, a sharp fall in expressions of literary culture, the collapse in trade networks, and economic and political instability. Michael J. Decker looks at the material evidence for the 7th to 9th centuries, lays out the current academic discourse about its interpretation, and suggests new ways of thinking about this crucial era. Important to readers interested in understanding how and why complex societies and imperial systems undergo and adapt to stresses, this clearly written, accessible work will also challenge students of archaeology and history to think in new ways when comprehending the construction of the past.

The Byzantine Dark Ages (Debates in Archaeology)

Bloomsbury Academic

The Byzantine Dark Ages explores current debates about the sudden transformation of the Byzantine Empire in the wake of environmental, social and political changes. Those studying the Byzantine Empire, the successor to the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, have long recognized that the mid-7th century CE ushered in sweeping variations in the way of life of many inhabitants of the Mediterranean world, with evidence of the decline of the size and economic prosperity of cities, a sharp fall in expressions of literary culture, the collapse in trade networks, and economic and political instability.
Michael J. Decker looks at the material evidence for the 7th to 9th centuries, lays out the current academic discourse about its interpretation, and suggests new ways of thinking about this crucial era. Important to readers interested in understanding how and why complex societies and imperial systems undergo and adapt to stresses, this clearly written, accessible work will also challenge students of archaeology and history to think in new ways when comprehending the construction of the past.

The Byzantine Art of War

A Complete Overview of One of the Most Important Military Forces in the History of the World The Byzantine Art of War explores the military history of the thousand-year empire of the eastern Mediterranean, Byzantium. Throughout its history the empire faced a multitude of challenges from foreign invaders seeking to plunder its wealth and to occupy its lands, from the deadly Hunnic hordes of Attila, to the Arab armies of Islam, to the western Crusaders bent on carving out a place in the empire or its former lands. In order to survive the Byzantines relied on their army that was for centuries the only standing, professional force in Europe. Leadership provided another key to survival; Byzantine society produced a number of capable strategic thinkers and tacticians—and several brilliant ones. These officers maintained a level of professionalism and organization inherited and adapted from Roman models. The innovations of the Byzantine military reforms of the sixth century included the use of steppe nomad equipment and tactics, the most important of which was the refinement of the Roman mounted archer. Strategy and tactics evolved in the face of victory and defeat; the shock of the Arab conquests led to a sharp decline in the number and quality of imperial forces. By the eighth and ninth centuries Byzantine commanders mastered the art of the small war, waging guerrilla campaigns, raids, and flying column attacks that injured the enemy but avoided the decisive confrontation the empire was no longer capable of winning. A century later they began the most sustained, glorious military expansion of their history. This work further sketches the key campaigns, battles, and sieges that illustrate Byzantine military doctrine, vital changes from one era to another, the composition of forces and the major victories and defeats that defined the territory and material well-being of its citizens. Through a summary of their strategies, tactics, and innovations in the tools of war, the book closes with an analysis of the contributions of this remarkable empire to world military history.

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Westholme Publishing

A Complete Overview of One of the Most Important Military Forces in the History of the World The Byzantine Art of War explores the military history of the thousand-year empire of the eastern Mediterranean, Byzantium. Throughout its history the empire faced a multitude of challenges from foreign invaders seeking to plunder its wealth and to occupy its lands, from the deadly Hunnic hordes of Attila, to the Arab armies of Islam, to the western Crusaders bent on carving out a place in the empire or its former lands. In order to survive the Byzantines relied on their army that was for centuries the only standing, professional force in Europe. Leadership provided another key to survival; Byzantine society produced a number of capable strategic thinkers and tacticians—and several brilliant ones. These officers maintained a level of professionalism and organization inherited and adapted from Roman models. The innovations of the Byzantine military reforms of the sixth century included the use of steppe nomad equipment and tactics, the most important of which was the refinement of the Roman mounted archer. Strategy and tactics evolved in the face of victory and defeat; the shock of the Arab conquests led to a sharp decline in the number and quality of imperial forces. By the eighth and ninth centuries Byzantine commanders mastered the art of the small war, waging guerrilla campaigns, raids, and flying column attacks that injured the enemy but avoided the decisive confrontation the empire was no longer capable of winning. A century later they began the most sustained, glorious military expansion of their history. This work further sketches the key campaigns, battles, and sieges that illustrate Byzantine military doctrine, vital changes from one era to another, the composition of forces and the major victories and defeats that defined the territory and material well-being of its citizens. Through a summary of their strategies, tactics, and innovations in the tools of war, the book closes with an analysis of the contributions of this remarkable empire to world military history.

Review\n"In reading Michael J. Decker’s The Sasanian Empire at War: Persia, Rome, and the Rise of Islam, 224-651, I was surprised to see so many place names that I had come to know from covering the recent American war in Iraq. Essentially the Sasanians rose by fighting the Roman Empire along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia. The Persians besieged the Roman garrison in what is now Tikrit, best known nowadays as Saddam Hussein’s hometown. In A.D. 363, the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate defeated a Persian force just outside today’s Falluja, where the Americans fought two long, hard battles in 2004. He was mortally wounded in a subsequent battle near today’s Samarra, a city between Mosul and Baghdad. When I accompanied a U.S. Army patrol on the bank of the Diyala River northeast of Baghdad, I was unaware that the Eastern Roman emperor Heraclius had marched his own army there in 628. In the estimation of Decker, a historian at the University of South Florida, the Sasanians excelled at balancing strategic threats from the west (the declining Roman Empire) and the east (the rise of the Huns and then the Turks). Ultimately what brought them down was an unexpected new foe from the south — Arabic warriors riding under the banner of Islam in the 630s and 640s. I put the book down wondering what unforeseen threat might bring down the United States."—Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times Book Review\n“This important book provides a comprehensive analysis of an empire too often overlooked. Based on meticulous scholarship of all extant sources, Decker provides much-needed insight into the Sasanian empire and its critically important role in Middle Eastern history before the spread of Islam. This will be the standard text for years to come.”—William Cummings, Chair of Humanities and Cultural Studies, University of South Florida\n“Michael Decker brings us an opportune insight into the military dynamics of the Sasanians. Their empire is central to the understanding of eastern late antiquity, but traditionally portrayed from a Mediterranean perspective as an unfamiliar, external menace. Reality on the ground was of course more complex, as elegantly revealed by Decker. Easy to read and still rigorous, this book is a wonderful contribution to both scholarship and the wider literary market.”—Adriaan De Man, United Arab Emirates University\nA comprehensive military history of one of the most important empires of Late Antiquity 
The Sasanian Empire at War: Persia, Rome, and the Rise of Islam, 224–651 is the first comprehensive study in English examining war and society in one of the most important empires in world history: the Persian Empire of 224-651 AD, ruled by the Sasanian clan. At its height the Sasanians governed lands from the Indus River in the east to Egypt and the Mediterranean in the west. Adversaries of Rome, they also faced grave challenges from nomadic powers from Central Asia, notably the Huns and Turks. The Sasanians were able to maintain their empire for hundreds of years through nearly constant warfare, but when their expansion was checked in the north by the Byzantines at Constantinople in 626, and with the Muslim invasions to their south and west beginning in the 630s, the empire could no longer be sustained, and it finally collapsed. 
In this book, Michael J. Decker examines Sasanian warfare, including military capabilities, major confrontations, organization and weapons of the Persian army. In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of the conflicts that marked this vital period in the history of Eurasia, The Sasanian Empire at War challenges long cherished notions of the inferiority of Sasanian military capabilities and renders a new image of a sophisticated, confident culture astride the heart of Eurasia at the end of the ancient world and birth of the Silk Road. Persian arms were among the many features of their culture that drew widespread admiration and was one of the keys to the surv

The Sasanian Empire at War: Persia, Rome, and the Rise of Islam, 224–651

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Decker, Michael J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Decker, Michael J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Decker, Michael J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia

From the heart of thunder to the color of grace: The story of how God transformed a convicted murdered into a minister!

Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia

The Byzantine Dark Ages (Debates in Archaeology)

The Byzantine Dark Ages (Debates in Archaeology)

The Byzantine Art of War

The Byzantine Art of War

The Sasanian Empire at War: Persia, Rome, and the Rise of Islam, 224–651