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The purpose of this thesis is to further our understanding of the period between the death of Basil II in 1025 and the accession of Alexios I Komnenos in 1081. Modern scholarship has often portrayed these 56 years as an important, transformative period, viewing the empire as standing at the height of its power at its beginning, only to be brought to the brink of collapse by civil wars and foreign invasions following the battle of Manzikert in 1071. Based on three unique and underexploited sources of evidence, namely the letters of Michael Psellos, the judicial handbook commonly known as the Peira and the so-called Consilia et Narrationes of Kekaumenos, it argues that the Byzantine state to a large extent relied on private networks to carry out public administration throughout the empire. Public and private power were thus intimately intertwined and by conveying information, orders and requests, but also by reproducing and enforcing norms of acceptable political behaviour, these networks served to compensate to some extent for the institutional shortcomings of the premodern state. It also challenges the idea that the political dynamic of the eleventh century was centred around the power struggles of 'great families' or clans that effectively functioned as political parties, as well as the idea that the emperors and their officials were apathetic about governing the provinces beyond what was necessary to pacify and extract resources from them. Taken together, the evidence examined consequently appears to suggest that, by the standards of the pre-modern world, the Byzantine empire had a reasonably well-functioning state and a fairly coherent society during the period in question, suggesting that the focus of the scholarly debate on the eleventh-century Byzantine collapse should, to some extent, be shifted from internal to external factors.

The present thesis is an annotated critical edition of the Dialogue on Demetrios Kydones' Antirrhetic against Neilos Kabasilas by the Byzantine scholar and theologian Demetrios Chrysoloras (ca. 136o-post 1440). Composed in the form of an imaginary dialogue this text presents the Orthodox position with reference to the procession of the Holy Spirit, the main doctrinal issue that divided, and still divides, the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. In this fictitious dialogue Chrysoloras 'resurrects' both Kydones (t 1397) and Kabasilas (+1363), as well as Thomas Aquinas (t1274), the author who gave rise to their own debate. In this way, three theological discourses, and hvo perceptions are involved in Demetrios Chrysoloras' work. At the same time this text highlights perspectives of cultural and ethnic identity within Byzantine society. The thesis comprises an Introduction and a critical edition of. the text. The Introduction is divided into two Parts (I-II). Part I gives information on the author and his times, his works and the background of the composition of this text in the context of the ecclesiastical dialogue between Byzantine and Western theologians in this period. This Part also examines the circumstances that gave rise to the composition of this fictitious Dialogue, followed by an analysis of its structure and content, a commentary on the arguments put forward by Chrysoloras to refute Kydones' Antirrhetic and an evaluation of the Dialogue in the wider historical, theological and cultural context. Part II is devoted to the manuscript tradition. The four codices which preserve the complete text of the Dialogue, datable between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, are described and studied from the codicoiogical and palaeographical point of view, followed by a palaeographical and textual examination in order to establish their relation. To help the reader, the edition of the text is accompanied by five apparatuses, recording: (a) passages of Neilos' treatise On the Procession of the Holy Spirit (DPSS III) and Kydones' Antirrhetic (Defensio); (b) parallel passages in Chrysoloras' Dialogue and other works of his; (c) passages from Thomas Aquinas' works cited in the text; (d) apparatus fontium recording proverbs and classical, Scriptural and patristic citations in the text; and (e) apparatu.s criticus recording.palaeographical and textual observations in the extant manuscripts. The edition is preceded by a brief note on the principles and conventions adopted, and a list of abbreviations and signs used in the apparatuses.

This thesis examines the relationship between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land from the age of Constantine the Great to the conquest of the eastern provinces by the Arabs from an archaeological viewpoint. At stake is a better understanding of how Jews adapted to changing times, particularly during the rise of Christianity in Palestine. Whereas earlier scholars have viewed the growth of the Byzantine empire as time of persecution toward the Jews, a re-evaluation of the archaeological evidence indicates that Jews prospered along with their Christian neighbors. In scope, this dissertation aims first to re-evaluate how many ancient building remains can be classified as synagogues, and how many of those can be accurately dated. For only after a solid body of archaeological research is firmly established can further progress be made toward our better understanding of the ancient world. Diversity in contemporaneous synagogue layouts, rather than a linear development throughout this period is the norm. Yet, in the sixth-century, one-third of all known synagogues in Palestine bear similar features to early Byzantine churches: basilical layouts, mosaic floors, apses, and chancel screens. Since no single fourth-century synagogue had an apse or chancel screen in its repertoire of furnishings, a reform must have taken place, which ultimately enhanced the synagogue. It has long been held that this change had originated under the influence of the growing Christian population in the Holy Land. Examining the nature of early Christian liturgical practice throws light on these changes to synagogues. For the focal point of the early Christian basilica, the altar in the sanctuary, separated from the hall by a chancel screen, was adapted by these Jewish communities. By placing the Torah Shrine in the apse of synagogues, the sacred nature of the Five Books of Moses was glorified. In focusing on the apse and niche it is suggested that rather than a positive influence toward the Jews, the deeply-rooted rivalry between Christianity and Judaism was the main implement for change. Jewish leaders built synagogues with apses and chancel screens to amplify and venerate the most important object in the hall - the Torah Scrolls - kept in the Torah Ark. Unlike earlier buildings, the Torah Shrine was set in the same position as the altar in churches, in the apse. Renovating interiors, changes to entrances, and new types of furnishings in synagogues were the physical changes to this institution which reflect the impact of Christian art on synagogues.

The present thesis analyzes the Byzantine mosaic pavements of Phoenicia and Northern Palcatine from a socio-economic perspective, primarily by examining the laying of pavements including technical aspects and bedding, the quality of decoration, the distribution of pavements in time and space, as well as inscriptions which provide names of donors and artists as well as dates. The approach adopted represents a novel alternative and complement to typical interpretations of mosaic floor decoration which overwhelmingly focus on the development and diffusion of style, or provide an exegesis of figurative iconography. Key aspects discussed include the extent to which chronological patterns of mosaic floor laying may be used to gauge economic conditions; the factors which determined the quality and distribution of technique and decoration in different building types; as well as the social mechanisms of patronage. Close scrutiny of the regional mosaic Corpus (which includes the total number of pavements) suggests that mosaic pavements provide a reasonable indication of economic conditions, especially in association with other media (coins, pottery, inscriptions). Together these media paint a historical picture of the economy of the period. Having graded according to four Levels of Complexity all the geometric designs in the Corpus after their codification following the rules devised by the Association Internationale pour l'Etude de la Mosaïque Antique (AIEMA), and with the support of the written ancient sources, it is demonstrated that quality and distribution of technique and style were governed by a combination of factors, notably function, financial expenditure, social use and various socio-economic categories of patrons, liturgy and liturgical level of participation. By building on the methodologies followed and the conclusions reached by other mosaic scholars, this innovative approach has attempted to reintroduce the human element into a discipline focused since the late 1960s on codification and descriptive precision. Revealing the hidden costs underlying the laying of mosaic pavements has presented a new insight into mosaic pavements as tri-dimensional products of team work. Likewise, stripping the literary language of dedicatory formulas down to essential information has challenged the misinterpreting of epigraphic evidence regarding donations and donors. In-depth analysis of Christian mosaic inscriptions has strengthened the pattern of changes plotted by historians of the Early Byzantine period and suggested that Christian patronage of mosaic art is to be equated with the local initiatives of the Church, ecclesiatics and wealthy laymen (or women) as private donors, and more rarely entire village communities. By contrast, scrutiny of the Jewish and Samaritan mosaic inscriptions has highlighted the fact that benefaction emanated from rich and poor alike, and was far more family and community oriented.

The reign of Basil II (976-1025)is widely accepted as the high point of medieval Byzantium. When the emperor died, imperial frontiers were at their most far-flung since the seventh century. Yet despite the territorial significance of Byzantium in this period, there is no comprehensive modern history of the reign. This thesis develops two important foundation stones for a new narrative history of Basil II: a better understanding of the relevant medieval historiography, and an analysis of the economic and administrative structures which underpinned contemporary political society. The first three chapters analyse the main Greek narrative account of the reign composed by John Skylitzes at the end of the eleventh century. The first chapter is a detailed textual study. The second chapter explores the literary, social and political contexts behind Skylitzes' text. The third chapter compares Skylitzes' coverage of Basil's reign with the rest of the medieval historical record, and identifies a hitherto unacknowledged source in the Greek tradition. Read together, these chapters demonstrate how the demands of history writing in the later eleventh century conditioned Skylitzes' narrative. In order to gain a more contemporary view of the reign, chapters four to six examine the economy and administration of the eastern half of the Byzantine empire during the tenth and eleventh centuries. These chapters argue that from the middle of the tenth century onwards, the administration of the eastern half of the empire was predicated on an imperial desire to exploit increasing regional economic prosperity. However, successive emperors, most notably Basil II himself, recognised the substantial practical constraints on the penetration of imperial authority in the locality. As a result the administration of the Byzantine east was characterised by considerable flexibility, and was able to adapt with surprising ease to local conditions.

Anastasius' long rule at the turn of the sixth century has tended to be neglected, yet it was a critical time in the history of the Later Roman Empire. On his accession, there were many problems facing the state: conflicts, both internal and external, religious disputes, and financial and administrative chaos. It is the aim of this thesis to assess the significance of Anastasius' reign, with a systematic survey of the key areas of imperial government. After an introductory chapter examining the primary sources, the second and third chapters consider revolts and wars. Chapter Two looks at two internal uprisings, that of the Isaurians (491-498) and that of Vitalian (514-516). The third chapter concentrates on external conflicts and political relations. The first section considers the Persian offensive (502-506) and the role of the Arabs, while the second part examines the ambiguous position of Theoderic in Italy, and explores how Anastasius sought to stabilize the balance of power with counter-alliances with the Franks and Burgundians. Chapter Four deals with the doctrinal schism dividing the orthodox from the monophysite. It outlines the background to this crisis and investigates the vicissitudes of Anastasius' policy as he sought to reconcile increasing eastern monophysitism with the west's intransigent orthodoxy. Chapter Five examines Anastasius' financial rehabilitation of the state and concludes that his success lay in a much wider reorganisation of the empire's resources: he restructured the fisc and introduced changes to municipal administration, agrarian legislation and the organisation of the army. This chapter also considers measures to halt the escalating violence of the faction riots, and it closes with a survey of the emperor's building policy. The thesis concludes that Anastasius' reign resolved many of the problems facing the empire in the fifth century, paving the way for Justinian in the sixth.

The subject for this dissertation is the study of Byzantine monetary affairs from the accesion of Leo III (717) up to the beginning of Alexius I's reign (1081). The work is divided into the following main chapters: I. Gold Coinage: Taking into account documentary and fragmentary numismatic evidence new chronologies and a few new attributions are attempted. A thorough survey of the recorded types and a detailed discussion of the relevant literature is included. References to iconography, monetary reforms and minting process are made. II.Silver Coinage: A similar study, including a separate section on metrology and valuation. III.Copper Coinage: The focus is concentrated in the coinages of Michael II, Theophilus and the anonymous folles of Class A. With the aid of detailed stylistic analyses, the study of dies and then the geographical distribution of the sylistic groups, the complex problem of provincial mints is discussed. The study is supplemented by four Appendices. Appendices I-III include a descriptive catalogue of 378 copper coins of Michael II and Theophilus upon which the stylistic analysis is based. Appendix IV contains catalogues of hoards and stray finds of Anonymous folles of Cl.A from Greece. Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and Asia Minor. IV. Monetary Circulation. A detailed survey of the attested evidence from all the areas under Byzantine dominion is included. On the basis of hoards and stray-finds the trends of the circulation in Greece are described. This study is supplemented by Appendix V, where a corpus of 122 coin hoards is presented.

The thesis is a contribution to two of the crucial problems of middle Byzantine history: the social and political structure of the provinces, and the explanation of the rapid fall of Asia Minor to the Turks at the end of the llth century. These problems are approached through a study of the Maeander region of western Asia Minor.Part one describes the geography of the region and shows it to have been a naturally fertile area, of great potential importance to the Empire. In the Roman period it had been very prosperous; the subsequent decline cannot be explained by geological or climatic factors. Part two surveys the archaeological evidence. The ancient city sites remained occupied at a sometimes very low cultural level through the early (7th -8th century) and middle (9th-llth century) Byzantine periods. A general move of settlements to apparently more secure sites with natural defences did not take place until the 12th-13th centuries in the face of the Turks. Up to the end of the llth century the city sites remained the focus of what was most active in the provincial society of the Maeander region. Part three looks at the region's elites. The strategoi and judges who ruled the theme of the Thrakesioi, which makes up the western two-thirds of the region, were outsiders appointed by the Imperial government in Constantinople and only in the region on short term appointments. Several major figures at the Imperial court owned land in the region but only as absentee landlords. When crisis came between 1071 and 1080 these outsiders abandoned the Maeander to the Turks. The church played an important role, but the resident local elite were a comparatively humble group, isolated from Constantinople, and lacking the influence to force the Imperial government into defending their interests.

This thesis surveys and discusses the documentary and archaeological evidence for sixth-century fortifications in Byzantine Africa. Chapter I examines the sources of evidence, noting that over 80 years have passed since the last major study of the subject was undertaken, by Charles Diehl in 1896. Chapter II traces the military history of Byzantine Africa from 533 to 602, with introductory and concluding sections on the fifth and seventh centuries. Chapter III discusses the evidence for the military organization and defensive strategy of Byzantine Africa in the sixth century, looking in particular at the structure of military command, the composition of the Byzantine army, the garrison structure (including the evidence for the nature and size of local garrisons stationed in forts and towns), the administrative machanisms by which fortifications were built and the strategy to be discerned in their siting. The chapter ends with a general appraisal of the benefits that Roman Africa received from Justinian's reconquest. Chapter IV examines the architecture of Byzantine fortifications in Africa, comparing it with earlier and contemporary practice in the eastern and western empires. The tactical aspects of fortifications are also considered, in particular the question of how far their design was influenced by the use made of artillery and archery in the sixth-century Byzantine army. In a short final chapter, an assessment is made of the value that the study of sixth-century Byzantine fortifications in Africa has for understanding later developments in the military architecture of eastern and western Christendom and of Islam. The Gazetteer includes full descriptions (with plans and photographs) of all the Byzantine fortifications identified in Africa, and shorter notes on other structures of more doubtful Byzantine identification; an index to fortifications in Africa referred to by Procopius; and a corpus of sixth- and seventh century military inscriptions from Africa.

Presents the thesis on the survival of the oriental church during the early muslim empire. Examination of the state of the Eastern Church during the first centuries of Muslim rule; Dramatic change of policy in the Muslim Empire; Persistence of Byzantine empire in its persecution of religious minorities.

This dissertation examines twelfth-century Byzantine writings on monasticism and holy men to illuminate monastic critiques during this period. Drawing upon close readings of texts from a range of twelfth-century voices, it processes both highly biased literary evidence and the limited documentary evidence from the period. In contextualizing the complaints about monks and reforms suggested for monasticism, as found in the writings of the intellectual and administrative elites of the empire, both secular and ecclesiastical, this study shows how monasticism did not fit so well in the world of twelfth-century Byzantium as it did with that of the preceding centuries. This was largely on account of developments in the role and operation of the church and the rise of alternative cultural models that were more critical of traditional ascetic sanctity. This project demonstrates the extent to which twelfth-century Byzantine society and culture had changed since the monastic heyday of the tenth century and contributes toward a deeper understanding of Byzantine monasticism in an under-researched period of the institution.

Manuel I of Byzantium (1143-80) has been unfairly judged as misguided, reckless, and, ultimately, as a failure. This work endeavors to refute the claims that Manuel's imperial policy lacked any coherent strategy, and that Byzantium simply reacted to external stimuli. The most ambitious aim of this thesis is to present a cogent analysis of Manuel's imperial policy to demonstrate the emperor's efficacy and strategic flexibility. The perception, generally accepted by historians, that Manuel left his empire exhausted and vulnerable to outside aggression is also seriously challenged. Regardless of Manuel's defeat at Myriokephalon in 1176, he could claim that the empire was stronger than it had been in over a century.

The road network of the Roman Empire was one of its most grandiose and long-lasting endeavors, and included the institution of the post ( cursus publicus); the Byzantine Empire, which succeeded the Roman geographically, likewise used much of the road network already in place and had its own postal service (oxys dromos), similar to the Roman. This study investigates the social effects of the Roman and Byzantine road networks and institutions of the post on the provincial populations. Although both were administered ultimately by the central government, maintenance on a local level was often carried out by local populations. The methods by which these empire-wide institutions were maintained involved the requisition of labor, animals, materials, and money from provincial populations, and the system, which allowed travelling officials to requisition housing or animals, encouraged overuse and abuse of these privileges. Evidence for the Roman system is preserved in literary texts and legal codifications such as the Theodosian Code and the Justinianic legal corpus. For local reaction to the Roman system, there is a body of epigraphic evidence, ranging from the reign of Augustus to that of Justinian, preserving statements of individual towns about their reactions to roads. Some of these inscriptions suggest people might even have moved away from major roads because of the burdens of Roman administration. Byzantine sources about roads and the post are fewer than the Roman and of a different character, but show that methods of administration were consciously adopted from the Roman. A particular road in southern Greece is considered in light of the issues raised about local responsibility for maintenance of Roman and Byzantine roads and the postal service. The road between Argos and eastern Arcadia in the Peloponnese was part of the Roman cursus publicus, and historical sources indicate its importance into the Byzantine era. Although roads could provide economic advantages to certain types of settlements or people, documentary evidence suggests that the negative experience of living near major roads may have outweighed the benefits for provincial populations who were subject to official corvees and requisitions and had little stake in the economic structures of the ancient and medieval world.