The Armenian-Byzantine Frontier

The Cultural Politics of Empire in the Medieval World

AnnaLinden Weller author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Publishing:1st Jan '30

£85.00

This title is due to be published on 1st January, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

The Armenian-Byzantine Frontier cover

The Byzantine expansion into eastern Anatolia in the tenth century presented a challenge both to the imperial conquerors and their Armenian subjects. Until Byzantine withdrawal under Seljuk pressure in the twelfth century, the contested frontier region was a social and cultural space within which imperial and local identities were repeatedly negotiated and articulated. Drawing on epistolary, apocalyptic, eschatological, hagiographical and historical texts, AnnaLinden Weller demonstrates how a variety of actors, from elite diplomats and princes to those living in the region, used narratives, interpersonal connections and storytelling to create authoritative - though sometimes conflicting - claims of universal empire. Across several historical case studies, Weller applies the methodologies of narratology (how narratives are formed) and network theory (the study of connections between individuals and groups) to bring together a nuanced exploration of the cultural capabilities and limitations of medieval empires. This unique book is essential reading for Byzantinists and Armenianists, as well as anyone with an interest in medieval frontier societies.

ISBN: 9781788310284

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

256 pages