The Battle of Adrianople

Can anyone suggest a good book on this battle? I have a few in mind but they are not rated particularly high by readers. Other than those 2-3 mediocre books there doesn't seem to be much written on Adrianople on its own. I would also like something a little deeper than an Osprey book. Thanks for any suggestions!

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR

Adrianople ad 378: The Goths Crush Rome’s Legions, by Simon MacDowall; and Barbarians: Warriors and Wars of the Dark Ages, by Tim Newark.
 
Should be at both Border's and B&N online.
 
First one fairly easy to find. Second one, not so much.
 
The Osprey (Adrianople 378) version I am afraid is about as good as it gets.

It is better to die by a swords quick thrust than to be impaled for a lifetime upon the sharp tongue of a woman.
-Grim Jack

Thanks Nick, I don't think I've stumbled across either of those titles yet.

I have found a few new titles on the Gothic Wars that look pretty decent as well. I might have to go with an all-encompassing book on the Gothic Wars altogether instead of just the one battle.

But Adrianople has definitely got my imagination going for some reason.

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR

IIRC, that particular battle was also refered to as Hadrianople.
 
If I am correct, you might want to search (google) under that name.

It is better to die by a swords quick thrust than to be impaled for a lifetime upon the sharp tongue of a woman.
-Grim Jack

^OK. The 'H' is much less common though, isn't it?

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR

You probably already know this, but what I found interesting about this battle is that it is considered by many period scholars to be the last Ancient battle before the Medieval period begun. 

It is better to die by a swords quick thrust than to be impaled for a lifetime upon the sharp tongue of a woman.
-Grim Jack

There is a game by Koios Works called Tin Soldiers: Julius Ceasar at Matrix Games that I really enjoyed.
 
It is very similar to table top wargaming with nicely painted miniatures that depict the era very well.
 
The game is UGOWEGO and has time limits that really can test a player. This game recreates the battle of Julius Ceasar quite well.
 
I think you might enjoy it if you haven't already.
 
The sad part about this story is I believe Koios Works is no longer in business. I always wanted to see a Napoleonic game from this developer-I would of been first in line to get it.

It is better to die by a swords quick thrust than to be impaled for a lifetime upon the sharp tongue of a woman.
-Grim Jack

The progression from the 'ancient' period into the early medieval/Dark Age period is part of the reason I think I am currently obsessed with Adrianople.

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR

^I wonder how the scholars define the transition between the two? Scientific/medical advances? Military/weapon advances? Agricultural? Spiritual? Government/ruling body or person(s)? Combination of each? Or, is there something I am missing that cleary states the Ancient era has ended and the Medieval has begun?

It is better to die by a swords quick thrust than to be impaled for a lifetime upon the sharp tongue of a woman.
-Grim Jack

Have you checked the footnotes in the wikipedia article?  There's a handful of references.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adrianople

^Thanks phred I will.

I don't think its ever that clear cut PWH. As a sort of awkward comparison, when centuries end there isn't immediate and lasting worldwide changes, you know...even though the fear of the whole Y2K disaster made everyone think otherwise for a while. 
 
EDIT: I'm also looking into [Roman] Emperor Valens now too...

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR

Think that the first book that tried to define when the Ancient World ended and the Dark Ages began was CWC Oman's The Art of War in the Middle Ages.
IIRC he chose Adrianople because it was a watershed moment in military history.  The mounted horseman had supplanted infantry as the decisive arm in combat.
There always are battles and systems where the horseman was superior, but he argued that from this point until the Swiss pikes - followed by the English longbowmen, the horseman was a superior system.
As this battle led to the fall of the West and the remaking of the Eastern Romans (they never called themselves anything but Romans), it is a very convenient divider.

"When I must choose an officer to perform an act that requires a good brain, everything else being equal, I choose the one with the biggest nose." - Napoleon
"If you'll believe that, you'll believe anything." - the Duke of Wellington

Thanks Besilarius, I knew you would have some interesting comments.

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR