Italy and the East Roman World in the Medieval Mediterranean

<p><em>Italy and the East Roman World in the Medieval Mediterranean</em> addresses the understudied topic of the Italian peninsula’s relationship to the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East across the early and central Middle Ages. </p><p>The East Roman world commonly known by the ahistorical term Byzantium is generally imagined as an Eastern Mediterranean empire with Italy part of the medieval West. Across 18 individually authored chapters an introduction and conclusion this volume makes a different case: for an East Roman world of which Italy forms a crucial part and an Italian peninsula which is inextricably connected to—and indeed includes—regions ruled from Constantinople. Celebrating a scholar whose work has led this field over several decades Thomas S. Brown the chapters focus on the general themes of empire cities and elites and explore these from the angles of sources and historiography archaeology social political and economic history and more besides. With contributions from established and early career scholars elucidating particular issues of scholarship as well as general historical developments the volume provides both immediate contributions and opens space for a new generation of readers and scholars to a growing field.</p>