Full Description
This collection of essays on the Byzantine culture of war in the period between the 4th and the 12th centuries offers a new critical approach to the study of warfare as a fundamental aspect of East Roman society and culture in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The book's main goal is to provide a critical overview of current research as well as new insights into the role of military organization as a distinct form of social power in one of history's more long-lived empires. The various chapters consider the political, ideological, practical, institutional and organizational aspects of Byzantine warfare and place it at the centre of the study of social and cultural history.
Contributors are Salvatore Cosentino, Michael Grünbart, Savvas Kyriakidis, Tilemachos Lounghis, Christos Makrypoulias, Stamatina McGrath, Philip Rance, Paul Stephenson, Yannis Stouraitis, Denis Sullivan, and Georgios Theotokis.
See inside the book.
Contents
Contents
List of Illustrations
Notes on Contributors
Introduction: Military Power in the Christian Roman Empire, c. 300-1204
Yannis Stouraitis
Part 1: The Mentality of War
1 The Imperial Theology of Victory
Paul Stephenson
2 State War Ethic and Popular Views on Warfare
Yannis Stouraitis
3 Civil War in the Christian Empire
Yannis Stouraitis
4 The Enemies of the Empire: Portrayed Images
Michael Grünbart
5 Warfare as Literary Narrative
Stamatina McGrath
6 Alternative Means of Conflict Resolution
Tilemachos Lounghis
Part 2: Warfare as Socio-Political Praxis
7 Army Structure: Roman Continuity and Byzantine Change
Savvas Kyriakidis
8 Byzantine Fronts and Strategies 300-1204
Denis Sullivan
9 Naval Warfare: Military, Institutional and Economic Aspects
Salvatore Cosentino
10 Siege Warfare: The Art of Re-Capture
Christos G. Makrypoulias
11 The Army in Peace Time: Social Status and the Function of Soldiers
Philip Rance
12 Military Technology: Production and Use of Weapons
Georgios Theotokis
General Bibliography
Index
