An in-depth overview and critical analysis of Procopius of Caesarea: A Byzantine Historian and primary source for Late Antiquity in the Roman Empire during the Age of Justinian when the New Rome centered at Constantinople became once again for one last time the undisputed geopolitical superpower of the Mediterranean.

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Watch the video-friendly edition on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBpeAzhZ1ds

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Living in a period of fundamental transition for not just the Roman Empire itself, but the broader world during the autumn of classical antiquity from the Occident to the Orient --the Eastern Roman / Byzantine Historian Procopius of Caesarea is to this day in the early 21st century considered to be by both casual Greco-Roman history buffs to professional scholars alike  as one of the paramount guides for the turbulent age of the Emperor Justinian I.  

During his tenure as a Roman Senator and Historiographer within the Court of Justinian (and Theodora), he served as the legal advisor (adsessor / symboulos) for the General Flavius Belisarius who would spearhead as the chief commander of the Late Roman Army a successful series of military campaigns that (albeit being partially completed and still debated regarding their cost and legacy) restored many of the formerly lost Western Provinces back into the Roman Empire.  

Accompanying Belisarius during his many expeditions in the name of the Empire, his documentation of the Wars of Justinian from the easternmost frontiers against the Persians / Iranians to the reconquest of Carthage + the former province of Roman Africa (modern-day Libya, Tunisia, and parts of Morocco + Algeria), and even through the Gates of the Eternal City of Rome itself are all vividly narrated into three key primary sources due to his eyewitness testimony and aim to structure his writing in the classical tradition of Herodotus and Thucydides.   

As someone who is commonly classified as the last major historian of the ancient Western world, Procopius' life and times are shadows in which still to this day loom large over the imagination of modern readers and all who have come before and will come after. His works also include brief, but insightful summaries of the extreme weather events of 535–536 and the Plague of Justinian (541–549) as they were understood by himself and his contemporaries (I also expand and connect them to the Late  Antique Little Ice Age along with juxtaposing these variables with those of today in the United States of America).

Despite the mentioned caveats on this episode of the Podcast, the literary works of Procopius are essential reading if one seeks to have a nuanced understanding of the complex and radically shifting world of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity as well as the gradual but definitive divergence of the Latin-West and Greek-East as increasingly distinct cultural spheres with conflicting trajectories in the aftermath which are future subjects that shall be discussed in-depth on #GetNuanced with TJC. 

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PLEASE NOTE:   This segment is ultimately an extended introduction to a person and subject which truly requires assessing the firsthand accounts which are his surviving literary works:   

"History of the Wars" - https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/History_of_the_Wars  

"The Buildings" - http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Procopius/Buildings/home.html  

"The Secret History" - https://sacred-texts.com/cla/proc/shp/index.htm

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-TJC

Watch the video-friendly edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KXpA6aqxt0

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At the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War (1927 - 1949) in which the Republic of China led by then Chairman Chiang Kai-shek (Chiang Chung-cheng) was along with the remnants of his Nationalist Government and Army defeated and forced during "The Great Retreat" to relocate to the island of Taiwan by the victorious forces of the Chinese Communist Party led by then Chairman Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) and his People's Liberation Army (PLA) which was the paramilitary wing of the CCP (and is now the official army of Modern China). 

The latter would establish itself at the end of the war as the sovereign ruler of mainland China and the former despite ambitions to restore its former territorial holdings, would go on to accept and adapt to its new reality, which to this day has been in defiance to the political prerogatives of Mao and his successors who to this day have been determined to finish off what to them is at most an illegitimate rump state that is from the perspective of policymakers in Beijing as now really nothing more than a "renegade province." 

What initially was under Chiang & his son a continuation of the political system of the mainland ROC (i.e. a de jure unitary parliamentary republic which in practice was de facto an autocratic, military dictatorship) would increasingly go following the end of the latter's tenure as President to develop as an increasingly distinct polity from that of its mainland counterpart with a younger population of native Taiwanese who despite being ethnically of Han stock, due to political & cultural factors, identify as being of their own nation and separate from the Chinese nation-state despite inheriting from Chiang and his ilk the claimed status of being the sovereign of mainland China, which to this day in 2020 has not been reformed or abolished. 

Even though millions of anti-Communist Chinese mainlanders fled along with the ROC and its armed forces in the mid 20th century, the younger generations of Taiwan have been favoring localization of the state and favor a brand of Taiwanese Nationalism which opts for a society more akin to the Western-style democratic states. Despite Taiwan having its own independent government and alternate political system as previously mentioned since 1949 (and never being de jure administered by the PRC), Beijing with its "One China Policy" is in no mood (for reasons I explained in this segment and will expound upon more in the future) to tolerate the existence of an ethnically Han Chinese polity that stands as a viable alternative to the PRC and its rise as one of the preeminent contemporary great powers. 

What further complicates this situation is the United States and its relationship with Taiwan, which much to the chagrin of Beijing, due to the geostrategic location and its history with the ROC, Washington has vowed through informal diplomatic agreements (see: Taiwan Relations Act) to come to the defense of Taipei and has especially under the current Administration of President Trump been increasingly expanding its commercial and military support of Taipei in spite of the constant ire of Beijing. Taiwan which under its current President, Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stands in 2020 at a pivotal juncture following the re-election of Tsai in January, who is a staunch advocate of Taiwanese Independence and is collaborating with the Trump Admin. to resist escalating pressure from China to restore control of the island state by any & all means it can muster. What will happen next? 

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Thanks for listening!

RE-UPLOAD from /GetNuanced on YouTube - Reigning as Emperor of Rome during the climax of the Crisis of the Third Century, Aurelian (c. 270 - 275 AD) despite being of humble origins had risen through the military ranks of the Roman Army to become leader of the Orbis Romanus at a time when its continued existence as a unified, single political state was within question from its contemporary citizenry.

With the Germanic Migrations that would become one of the primary staples that characterized the history of the Late Roman Empire (until the very Fall of Rome in the West), said Germanic Tribes from across the Rhine River had gone from manageable nuisances that would periodically raid into the Imperium's frontiers, into fearsome and worthy adversaries which would become increasingly determined to make their way into the very heartlands of Rome and carve a place out within its borders for the various peoples of Germania to call their new homeland. Separatist tendencies that had been long brewing and no longer could be suppressed manifested themselves in the breakaway provinces of both the East and West attempting to severe ties with the Imperium Romanum in the form of the Palmyrene Empire and Gallic Empire, respectively.

Despite his untimely death, Aurelian's many achievements would outlive him and his legacy as being Restitutor Orbis (Latin for "Restorer of the World") would inspire the modern cities of Orleans in France and New Orleans in the State of Louisiana in America to be named in his honor. In five short years he did far more than many would and will do in decades.

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NOTE: This was originally published a few months prior on YouTube, over at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb6MA1dfj4k 

This is officially the first of what will in time be many segments from GetNuanced via AnchorFM and if you enjoyed tuning in please consider following this Anchor Profile and subscribing to the YouTube channel for video-based exclusives such as clips and behind-the-scenes content which is as relevant as it is worthwhile. Thanks for listening!

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PODCAST TAGS: #AURELIAN #ROMANEMPEROR #HISTORYPODCAST

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STAY SAFE & PEACE OUT,

-TJC

Just a brief introduction to the #GetNuanced Podcast for the official AnchorFM profile. 

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WHAT IS #GETNUANCED?

#GetNuanced with TJC is an American-based, independent media outlet that is  attempting to redefine what the so-called "appropriate standards" are  for modern political / historical discourse pertaining to the most  pressing domestic affairs & foreign policy issues of our times.  

This podcast seeks to be a platform for meaningful discussions as well as critical analysis of current events with an emphasis on both  international relations along with the historical context that is at the core for what motivates the past as well as present and inevitably  future trajectory of mankind and its posterity.

Feedback is not just welcome, but actively encouraged by Tom along with his guests who all are seeking to constantly improve their depth of knowledge on relevant matters whether it be in the abstract and/or practical sense. The show reflecting the current trajectory of the 21st century, is constantly evolving and in order to continue to adapt it welcomes any and all recommendations, critiques, and constructive input. 

For more background information and additional content in the format of text-based blog posts, please visit: http://www.GetNuanced.com/

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GOOD TO KNOW:

First Episode: ***COMING SOON!***

Follow @GetNuanced on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GetNuanced

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Catch you in the next one real soon,

-TJC