About this book:

*Byzantium and Rome: Continuity and Change After 476* explores the survival and evolution of the Roman state in the eastern Mediterranean following the traditional "fall" of the West. Challenging the narrative of a clean historical break, the text argues that the Eastern Roman Empire (later known as Byzantium) endured not by remaining static, but through a dynamic process of institutional and cultural reconfiguration. The book organizes its analysis around four primary axes: administrative resilience, the codification and practice of Roman law, the transformation of art and architecture—specifically the shift toward domed spaces—and the persistent claim to a "Roman" identity among a Greek-speaking, Christian populace.

The narrative details how the empire adapted to the cataclysms of the sixth and seventh centuries, including the devastating Plague of Justinian and the loss of wealthy provinces like Egypt and Syria to the Arab conquests. These crises forced a radical transition from the late antique system of prefectures and professional armies to the "Theme system," a military-fiscal revolution that settled soldier-farmers on provincial land. This reorganization successfully decentralized defense while maintaining a sophisticated, centralized bureaucracy in Constantinople. The book also examines the symbiotic but often tense relationship between "Symphonia" (church and state), highlighting how theological controversies like Iconoclasm were often proxy battles for imperial authority and social order.

Culturally, the work emphasizes the preservation of the classical heritage through the maintenance of Greek education and the transition of the state’s official language from Latin to Greek. It explores how the city of Constantinople served as a strategic and symbolic hub, acting as a "New Rome" that anchored the empire’s legitimacy. The text also delves into provincial life, the management of diverse ethnic populations, and the sophisticated diplomatic strategies—such as "divide and conquer"—that allowed the state to manage formidable neighbors including the Persians, Bulgars, and Slavs.

Finally, the book assesses the enduring legacies of Byzantium, illustrating how its preservation of Roman law and Greek philosophy served as a vital bridge to the Islamic Golden Age and the Italian Renaissance. By maintaining the *Corpus Juris Civilis* and the works of classical antiquity, Byzantium provided the intellectual and legal foundations for modern European and Slavic civilizations. Ultimately, the text presents Byzantium as a resilient, transformative state that preserved the essence of Romanitas while evolving to meet the challenges of the medieval world.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Deconstructs the historical myth of 476, arguing that the Roman state in the East survived and transformed rather than simply 'falling', representing a continuity of institutions, law, and identity.
• Analyzes the evolution of Roman governance from late imperial structures like prefectures and dioceses into the Byzantine theme system, a military-fiscal innovation where generals fused civil and military authority for frontier defense.
• Traces the development of Roman law, highlighting the monumental codifications under Theodosius II and Justinian as crucial acts of ideological assertion that ensured the legal tradition's endurance and influenced medieval Europe.
• Explores the profound cultural shift from a Latin-speaking Roman Empire to a Greek-speaking Byzantine state, examining how this linguistic transformation redefined Romanness while preserving its core administrative and imperial concepts.
• Examines the dynamic relationship between the Roman state and the Christian Church (symphonia), the rise of monasticism as a key social institution, and the intense controversy over religious icons that reshaped society and imperial authority.

Who's It For:

This book is written for students and general readers of Roman, Byzantine, and late antique history who seek to understand the transformation, rather than the collapse, of the Roman world. It is particularly valuable for those interested in how long-term institutional, legal, and cultural continuities can persist through periods of profound crisis and change, offering a nuanced perspective on the transition from classical antiquity to the medieval world.