The Emperor Justinian had a long and influential reign, from AD 527 to 565, in which he dominated the sixth-century. This was an important period in the transition between the classical and Byzantine worlds, and one which saw significant territorial changes and religious developments. Many of Justinian's other reforms, such as those in the governance of the empire and his codification of its laws, also had a long-lasting influence.The first section of this book outlines the current questions we are asking about Justinian today. Five chapters explore his rise to power and the role of the colourful Theodora, foreign policy on the eastern frontier and the recovery of the western provinces, religious policy and governance of the empire. The sixth chapter considers the role of culture and society in the sixth century. Justinian's reign is documented through a wide range of contemporary written sources, as well as numismatic and epigraphic evidence and images of the imperial couple. The second section contains over eighty examples of these records, including English translations of the sources and images of coins and other objects.
Fiona Haarer is a Visiting Fellow and teaches Ancient Greek at King’s College London. Her research focuses on the history, literature and culture of the fifth and sixth centuries and she is the author of The Emperor Anastasius I: Politics and Empire in the Late Roman World (2006).
Series Editors’ PrefacePrefaceAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsMapsPart I DebatesIntroduction: Discovering Justinian – Sources and Scholarship1. Rise to Power2. Conflict and Diplomacy on the Eastern Frontier3. The Wars of Reconquest4. Church and State5. Governing the Empire6. Culture and SocietyConclusion: Longevity and LegacyPart II Documents1. Collectio Avellana 1472. Anonymus Valesianus 85–73. Marcellinus Comes 5214. Diptych announcing the consulship of Justinian, 5215. Greek Anthology I.10, On the Church of the Holy Martyr Polyeuktos, lines 14–33, 42–506. Church of SS Sergius and Bacchus inscription7. Procopius, Secret History 9.20–28. John of Ephesus, Lives of the Eastern Saints 139. Cassiodorus, Variae X.2010. Procopius, Buildings I.9.5–1011. C.J. I.5.12.4–1012. Gold coin of Justin and Justinian, 52713. Procopius, Wars I.24.33–714. Menander the Guardsman, fragment 6.115. C.J. I.29.516. The Chronicle of Pseudo-Zachariah Rhetor, IX.8a17. Procopius, Wars I.14.45–5418. Malalas, Chronicle 477–819. Procopius, Secret History 24.12–1420. Evagrius, Ecclesiastical History IV.2721. Agathias, The Histories IV.30.7–1022. John of Ephesus, Church History 3.4.6–923. Procopius, Wars VIII.17.1–824. Procopius, Wars IV.6.30–425. John the Lydian, de Magistratibus III.5526. Corippus, In laudem Iustini minoris 1.276–8727. Victor of Tonnena, Chronicon 53428. Procopius, Buildings I.10.16–1829. C.J. I.27.1, 12–1430. Procopius, Secret History 18.5–1031. Inscription from Aïn Djelloula (Cululis)32. Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of St Sabas 7433. Novel 37, preface, 1, 534. Facundus of Hermiane, In Defence of the Three Chapters, preface35. Procopius, Wars VII.37.1–736. Epistulae Austrasicae XX37. Procopius, Wars III.2.1–638. Cassiodorus, Variae XI.139. Pope Pelagius, Letters 4 and 8540. Novels, Appendix 7: Pragmatic Sanction, 55441. Procopius, Secret History 11.5–842. Procopius, Wars II.4.4–1143. Novel 11, preface, 444. Agathias, The Histories V.13.5–645. Agathias, The Histories V.15.7–8 46. Theophanes am 605047. Isidore, History of the Goths 4748. The Chronicle of Pseudo-Zachariah Rhetor, IX.15j49. C.J. I.1.6 and Chronicon Paschale 53350. ‘Only-begotten Son’ troparion51. Victor of Tonnena, Chronicon 54052. Novel 42, preface 53. Victor of Tonnena, Chronicon 54354. Evagrius, Ecclesiastical History IV.3855. Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of St Sabas 8556. Justinian, On the Orthodox Faith57. Evagrius, Ecclesiastical History IV.3958. Agapetus, Advice to the Emperor Justinian59. Novel 131, preface, 1–460. Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, Chronicle 84461. Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, Chronicle 84562. Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of St Sabas 7263. Evagrius, Ecclesiastical History IV.1064. Institutes, preface65. Novel 25, preface66. Novel 47, preface67. Justinian, the first dated copper coin, ad 53868. Novel 38, preface69. Evagrius, Ecclesiastical History IV.2970. Procopius, Secret History 17.571. Romanos, Kontakion 54, 14–2572. Paul the Silentiary, Ekphrasis of Hagia Sophia, lines 1–8073. Procopius, Buildings I.2.1–1274. Procopius, Buildings V.8.4–975. Procopius, Buildings I.11.10–1576. Greek Anthology IX.64177. C.J. I.5.18.478. C.J. I.11.1079. Agathias, The Histories II.30.3–480. Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, Chronicle 85281. Choricius, Oratio XIII, preface, 10–1682. Greek Anthology I.8ChronologyPopes and PatriarchsGlossaryFurther ReadingEssay Questions and Exercise TopicsPrimary SourcesBibliographyIndex
Haarer has produced a remarkable piece of scholarship, impeccably thorough in its review of both evidence and scholarly literature, written with a lively and accessible style and worthy of gracing the shelves of any scholar of late antiquity