This volume explores the political, cultural,
and ecclesiastical forces that linked the metropolis of
Byzantium to the margins of its far-flung empire.
Focusing on the provincial region of Hellas and
Peloponnesos in central and southern Greece, Judith
Herrin shows how the prestige of Constantinople was
reflected in the military, civilian, and ecclesiastical
officials sent out to govern the provinces. She evokes
the ideology and culture of the center by examining
different aspects of the imperial court, including
diplomacy, ceremony, intellectual life, and relations
with the church. Particular topics treat the
transmission of mathematical manuscripts, the burning of
offensive material, and the church's role in
distributing philanthropy. Herrin contrasts life in
the capital with provincial life, tracing the adaptation
of a largely rural population to rule by Constantinople
from the early medieval period onward. The letters of
Michael Choniates, archbishop of Athens from 1182 to
1205, offer a detailed account of how this highly
educated cleric coped with life in an imperial
backwater, and demonstrate a synthesis of ancient Greek
culture and medieval Christianity that was
characteristic of the Byzantine elite. This
collection of essays spans the entirety of Herrin's
influential career and draws together a significant body
of scholarship on problems of empire. It features a
general introduction, two previously unpublished essays,
and a concise introduction to each essay that describes
how it came to be written and how it fits into her
broader analysis of the unusual brilliance and longevity
of Byzantium.
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