Italy and the East Roman World in the Medieval Mediterranean: Empire, Cities and Elites, 476-1204

Italy and the East Roman World in the Medieval Mediterranean: Empire, Cities and Elites, 476-1204 provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the history and cultures of Italy in the centuries after the end of its role as imperial centre and before the rise of the high medieval Mediterranean in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade. It focuses on the years of independent Lombard polities and regional East Roman rule. The studies build upon or engage with Thomas S. Brown's interest in Ravenna, his landmark contributions on the social formations and linkages of the elites of the Exarchate, and the general issue of Italy's transition from the ancient world to the medieval Mediterranean. Scholars from a variety of disciplines offer new viewpoints on key issues and questions relating to political, social, religious, cultural and intellectual history, drawing upon a wide range of sources, including manuscripts, relics, theological tracts, and material remains, illuminating the rich complexities of early medieval Italy, particularly in those areas which had been under the control of the medieval Eastern Roman Empire. These studies present important revisionist arguments and new interpretations of significant texts and events. The essays highlight and deepen scholarly appreciation of Italy and the East Roman world in the rich and varied culture of the medieval Mediterranean.