The Byzantine Republic: People and Power in New Rome

by Anthony Kaldellis

Overview

Scholars have long claimed that the Eastern Roman Empire, a Christian theocracy, bore little resemblance to ancient Rome. Here, Anthony Kaldellis reconnects Byzantium to its Roman roots, arguing that it was essentially a republic, with power exercised on behalf of, and sometimes by, Greek-speaking citizens who considered themselves fully Roman.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674365407
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	02/02/2015
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Anthony Kaldellis is Professor and Chair of the Department of Classics at The Ohio State University. He is the author of many books, including The Christian Parthenon, Hellenism in Byzantium, and The Byzantine Republic, which have been translated into French, Greek, and Russian.

Table of Contents

Contents
Preface
1. Introducing the Byzantine Republic
2. The Emperor in the Republic
3. Extralegal Authority in a Lawful Polity
4. The Sovereignty of the People in Theory
5. The Sovereignty of the People in Practice
6. The Secular Republic and the Theocratic “Imperial Idea”
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index

Editorial Reviews

Any student of political science will find this study of interest because of its discussions of both theory and specific historical documents… Byzantine specialists will find intriguing the author’s remarks about continuity, and nonspecialists will appreciate his discussion about the legitimacy of power in a medieval context.
— J. W. Nesbitt Choice

This is a path-breaking book that will change the discussion on the political structure of the later Roman Empire—Byzantium—and put it, finally, on a proper course.
— Dimitri Gutas, Yale University

This is an important book that establishes beyond a doubt that the image we have of Byzantium, the Roman Empire in the East, is in need of revision. Kaldellis breaks down the artificial and damaging divide between Roman and Byzantine studies with his encyclopedic knowledge of the full run of Byzantine historiography.
— Paul Stephenson, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

From the Publisher

This is an important book that establishes beyond a doubt that the image we have of Byzantium, the Roman Empire in the East, is in need of revision. Kaldellis breaks down the artificial and damaging divide between Roman and Byzantine studies with his encyclopedic knowledge of the full run of Byzantine historiography.

Paul Stephenson

Any student of political science will find this study of interest because of its discussions of both theory and specific historical documents… Byzantine specialists will find intriguing the author’s remarks about continuity, and nonspecialists will appreciate his discussion about the legitimacy of power in a medieval context.

Choice - J. W. Nesbitt

This is a path-breaking book that will change the discussion on the political structure of the later Roman Empire—Byzantium—and put it, finally, on a proper course.

Dimitri Gutas