Lost Legion Rediscovered: The Mystery of the Theban Legion (3 reviews)
by Donald O'Reilly
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Found in: Ancient History Books
Hardback
176 pages
ISBN: 9781848843783
Published: 25 July 2011
by Donald O'Reilly
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Found in: Ancient History Books
Hardback
176 pages
ISBN: 9781848843783
Published: 25 July 2011
In AD383, according to Bishop Eucherius of Lyon, flooding caused part of the bank of the River Rhone to collapse, revealing a mass grave. Eucherius identified the bodies as those of legionaries recruited to the Roman army from the Christians of the Theban district in Egypt, whom he claimed had been massacred nearly a century previously (near the modern village of St Maurice-en-Valais in southwestern Switzerland) for refusing to obey orders they considered immoral. This incident, asserted by Eucherius as matter of fact, is unrecorded elsewhere. Even the existence of this Theban legion is unclear.
Intrigued by this discrepancy, and suspecting a cover-up by official Roman sources, Dr Donald O’Reilly has spent many years undertaking some historical detective work. Piecing together scattered clues from ancient coins, inscriptions and obscure texts he identifies the Theban legion as fact and sheds light on their fate. In the process he paints a powerful portrait of an empire in turmoil, beset by external enemies and driven by religious and moral uncertainties within.
Intrigued by this discrepancy, and suspecting a cover-up by official Roman sources, Dr Donald O’Reilly has spent many years undertaking some historical detective work. Piecing together scattered clues from ancient coins, inscriptions and obscure texts he identifies the Theban legion as fact and sheds light on their fate. In the process he paints a powerful portrait of an empire in turmoil, beset by external enemies and driven by religious and moral uncertainties within.
O'Reilly puts a great deal of effort into assembling a collection of clues that might prove the existence of this Theban Legion and support the story of its martyrdom. Some are quite convincing, others require... [read full review]
History of War Website
Donald O' Reilly's The Lost Legion Rediscovered is a remarkable book.Ancient Warfare Magazine
Lost Legion Rediscovered is a remarkable book that should appeal to both the common reader and the historian of late Roman antiquity.Thomas Zacharis
A History of Warriors and Warfare
by by Ross Cowan
Our Price: £25.00
About Donald O'Reilly
Dr Donald O'Reilly was a teacher of History and Classics at a community college in New York State. He is now retired and lives in Yonkers, New York.
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