Early Byzantine History

Not surprisingly, one can say that without attention to the captivity and slavery the studies of all pre-modern societies hardly would have achieved considerable accomplishment. Along with this, however, as regards the monitoring of aspects about the fate of the war-captives in the early Byzantine era, it looks as if there are enough things to add. The very moment of those caught up in enemy's hands, apart from not such a large number of publications specifically concerning the problem, is usually passed by. The starting point, in an attempt to explore the issue of captives and slaves in the down of the Early Medieval epoch in the Eastern Mediterra-nean and its surroundings is related to the state of the source basis. Due to the nature and the long term impact of well known legal compilations in the time of Emperor Justinian I, the lavish clues in Digest XLIX.15 provide an opportunity for inflicting additional touches.

Les  deux  fameux  panneaux en  mosaïque de  l’église  de  San  Vitale (représentant  les  processions  de l’empereur  Justinien  et  de  l’impératrice Théodora) recèlent bien des significations de propagandereliées au contextede  la  construction  de  l’égliseet  à  celui  de  l’exécution  de  la mosaïque décorative. Notre articleexplore les plus vraisemblables interprétations que l’exégèse  a proposées pources  célèbres  panneaux –des  interprétations concernant l’affirmation du pouvoir politique et religieux byzantin au cœur du Royaume  ostrogoth  d’Italie, qui,  à  l’époque,a  failli être  conquis  par  les armées de Justinien.

The thesis analyses the development of the Late Roman and Early Byzantine administration of those territories which are called "Armenian" in the sources of the time from the 4th century until the development of the thema Armeniakon and the establishment of Arab supremacy in Greater Armenia (around 700 CE). Latin, Greek and Armenian source (in original language) as well as Arab sources (in translation) are taken into consideration. Highlighted is also the relationship between Roman administrative institution and the Armenian aristocracy and its traditional framework of power and influence.

El presente trabajo, enmarcado dentro de la prestigiosa Colección de Monografías en Derecho Romano y Cultura Clásica dirigida por el prestigioso Catedrático y Maestro de romanistas Antonio Fernández de Buján, se encuentra consagrado a la evolución histórico-política que, desde el prisma de los contactos diplomáticos, experimentaron los tres principales sectores en los que se encontraba dividido, durante el «largo» siglo VI (ca. 545 – 630), el ámbito fronterizo septentrional romano: el sector caucásico, el corredor crimeano y el área danubiano-balcánica. En este sentido, se escruta la mayor o menor incidencia de la interacción diplomática como elemento clave de la política exterior romana, atendiendo a las iniciativas implementadas, instrumentos utilizados, grado de éxito y tendencias históricas derivadas de las mismas durante los reinados de Justiniano I, Justino II, Tiberio II Constantino, Mauricio, Focas y Heraclio, observando que nos encontramos ante un periodo y circunstancias fundamentales en aras de una comprensión global del mundo romano durante la Antigüedad Tardía.

SUMMARIUM. - Hoc opusculum ad Marcellini Comitis fontes in Chronicis adhibitas
praecipue attinet et in has varias dividitur partes: ante omnia (§§ 1-2) narrationis Marcellinianae confectionem per exempla aliqua collustravimus; de rebus gestis anni 462 p. Chr. n. deinde locuti sumus (§§ 3-4), de quibus immo apus Maecellinum enarratio abest; commemoravimus postea (§§ 5-6) quomodo recte dubitari possit de Aniciano auctore in Marcellinianis Chronicis adhibito; exploravimus posthaec (§§ 11-17) Marcellini hesperia quae dicuntur verba apud Chron. a. 454,2 et a. 476,2; ad extremum (§§ 18-19) argumenta aliqua memoravimus quae non dumtaxat apud Marcellinum Comitem, sed etiam fortasse apud Cassiodorum Senatorem et lordanem, congruenter reperiri possunt et ad hesperia verba pertinent, de quibus supra diximus; perpendimus praeterea lmperatorum Romanorum annos secundum Cassiodorii computationem (§§ 20); brevissima apponitur conclusio (§ 21).

The Sixth century, recently defined by Michael Maas as “Justinian’s era”, is a key moment to understand the characteristic features of the Early Byzantine world. It is also a time in which the convulsive political circumstances promote a highly deep redefinition of the diplomatic activity, along with a significant increase in its volume, becoming so one of the main tools of the State as regards to his “foreign policy”. Thereby, along this work we pretend, within the framework of our doctoral thesis and our participation in the research proyect called “Exiled and banished in the Mediterranean (IV-VII c.c.) -HUM 2011/22631-”, to focus on one of the most obscure and, maybe, morbid facets of their main characters: the diplomats. Therefore, we want to consider the notions of exile and banishment and to observe if they were applicable to the “diplomatic corps” or not, how they influenced and how they become manifested, if they were an exceptional phenomenon or recurrent, the cases in which they were applied and their relationship with another documented and more severe punishments, like torture, imprisonment or, even, death.

During the second half of the fifth century AD, despite the fact that many Isaurians rose to the higher ranks of the Eastern Roman court, the problem of banditry continued to torment their homeland, the region of Isauria, as well as the rest of southern Anatolia. This article examines the life, actions and the subsequent legacy of an infamous bandit, Indacus Kottunes. His activities were dangerous enough that imperial intervention was deemed necessary to put an end to them. Until now, because of the scarce information of the sources, he has generally appeared in footnotes in studies regarding the emperor Zeno (474-491) and the general Illus. Secondly, the article focuses on the allegedly impregnable castle of Papirium, which served as the headquarters of Indacus’ clan of bandits and later as the base of Illus’ rebellion against the emperor (484-488). Finally, the article analyses the bandit’s involvement in the aforementioned revolt.

Uno studioso australiano, forse il massimo specialista di Marcellino, Brian Croke,
dopo aver curato l'unica edizione postmommseniana del rusticum opus del Comes
(The Chronicle of Marcellinus: Translation and Commentary, Australian Association
far Byzantine Studies, Sydney 1995, pp. xvn-152), con la prima traduzione in
una lingua moderna, gli ha dedicato uno studio appassionato (Count Marcellinus
and his Chronicle, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2001, pp. xvr-300, ISBN 0-19-
815001-6): convincentemente ha scelto di iniziare spazzando via i moderni pregiudizi
sulla letteratura cronachistica, per inquadrarvi quella marcelliniana e proporre una
esemplare esegesi della personalità del cronista, della sua opera e della sua successiva fortuna. Questo saggio, nel recensire analiticamente il lavoro di Croke, entra nel merito di oltre questioni aperte su Marcellino.

Las últimas décadas del siglo VI, así como las primeras de la centuria subsiguiente, constituyeron un período especialmente delicado para el devenir del Imperio. Fuertes y profundas transformaciones políticas, sociales y económicas, agudizadas por una guerra total en casi todos los frentes, sacudieron sus cimientos hasta el punto de poner en jaque su propia supervivencia. En este dramático y convulso marco, uno de los protagonistas principales y, a su vez, motor del cambio, fue una de sus instituciones más prestigiosas y características: el Ejército. Así pues, a lo largo de nuestra siguiente contribución, pretendemos aproximarnos al exilium desde la perspectiva castrense; comenzando por un retrato genérico de su situación general en el lapso que nos ocupa. Una vez imbricado en las coordenadas socio-políticas, pretendemos observar detenidamente qué afectación tenía dicho fenómeno en su seno, cuál era el sector que potencialmente podía verse más afectado por el mismo, de qué manera, sus causas, repercusiones, consecuencias, así como su supeditación o no a las difíciles circunstancias políticas que caracterizaron el período; todo ello sin olvidarnos del marco legislativo existente. Finalmente, pretendemos resumir los rasgos más sobresalientes con el objetivo de continuar investigando y, en base a futuros trabajos, poder determinar la manera en que debería comprenderse dicho período en relación a la evolución y afectación del exilio durante la Antigüedad Tardía en el seno del Ejército romano.