Synopses & Reviews
Examining the role of envoys from the establishment of the first "barbarian kingdoms" in the West, to the eve of Justinian's wars of reconquest, this study reveals how Roman imperial administration influenced new patterns of political interaction in the earliest medieval states. Close analysis of sources with special interest in embassies offers insight into a variety of genres: chronicles, panegyrics, hagiographies, letters, and epitaphs. The study will make a significant contribution to the developing field of ancient and medieval communication.
Review
"...well produced in every way...[a] most useful contribution to the political history of a complicated if not badly documented era...a worthy publication." Edward N. Luttwak, Center for Strategic and International Studies" [A] well written and most useful contribution." Bryn Mawr Classical Review
About the Author
Andrew Gillett is Research Fellow in the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University, Sydney.
Table of Contents
Preface; 1. Embassies and political communication in the post-imperial world; 2. The provincial view of Hydatius; 3. The hero as envoy: Sidonium Appollinaris's Panegyric on Avitus; 4. The saint as envoy: fifth and sixth century Latin bishops' Lives; 5. Cassiodorus and Senarius; 6. Negotium Agendum; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography.