A groundbreaking history of how the Christian "West"
emerged from the ancient Mediterranean world In this
acclaimed history of Early Christendom, Judith Herrin shows
how-from the sack of Rome in 410 ...to the coronation of Charlemagne
in 800-the Christian "West" grew out of an ancient Mediterranean
world divided between the Roman west, the Byzantine east, and the
Muslim south. Demonstrating that religion was the period's defining
force, she reveals how the clash over graven images, banned by
Islam, both provoked iconoclasm in Constantinople and generated a
distinct western commitment to Christian pictorial narrative. In a
new preface, Herrin discusses the book's origins, reception, and
influence.
In the eighth and ninth centuries, three Byzantine empresses—Irene, Euphrosyne, and Theodora—changed history. Their combined efforts restored the veneration of icons, saving Byzantium from a purely ...symbolic and decorative art and ensuring its influence for centuries to come.In this exhilarating and highly entertaining account, one of the foremost historians of the medieval period tells the story of how these fascinating women exercised imperial sovereignty with consummate skill and sometimes ruthless tactics. Though they gained access to the all-pervasive authority of the Byzantine ruling dynasty through marriage, all three continued to wear the imperial purple and wield tremendous power as widows. From Constantinople, their own Queen City, the empresses undermined competitors and governed like men. They conducted diplomacy across the known world, negotiating with the likes of Charlemagne, Roman popes, and the great Arab caliph Harun al Rashid.Vehemently rejecting the ban on holy images instituted by their male relatives, Irene and Theodora used craft and power to reverse the official iconoclasm and restore icons to their place of adoration in the Eastern Church. In so doing, they profoundly altered the course of history. The art—and not only the art—of Byzantium, of Islam, and of the West would have been very different without them.As Judith Herrin traces the surviving evidence, she evokes the complex and deeply religious world of Constantinople in the aftermath of Arab conquest. She brings to life its monuments and palaces, its court ceremonies and rituals, the role of eunuchs (the "third sex"), bride shows, and the influence of warring monks and patriarchs. Based on new research and written for a general audience, Women in Purple reshapes our understanding of an empire that lasted a thousand years and splashes fresh light on the relationship of women to power.
A riveting history of the city that led the West out of
the ruins of the Roman Empire At the end of the fourth
century, as the power of Rome faded and Constantinople became the
seat of empire, a new ...capital city was rising in the West. Here, in
Ravenna on the coast of Italy, Arian Goths and Catholic Romans
competed to produce an unrivaled concentration of buildings and
astonishing mosaics. For three centuries, the city attracted
scholars, lawyers, craftsmen, and religious luminaries, becoming a
true cultural and political capital. Bringing this extraordinary
history marvelously to life, Judith Herrin rewrites the history of
East and West in the Mediterranean world before the rise of Islam
and shows how, thanks to Byzantine influence, Ravenna played a
crucial role in the development of medieval Christendom. Drawing on
deep, original research, Herrin tells the personal stories of
Ravenna while setting them in a sweeping synthesis of Mediterranean
and Christian history. She narrates the lives of the Empress Galla
Placidia and the Gothic king Theoderic and describes the
achievements of an amazing cosmographer and a doctor who revived
Greek medical knowledge in Italy, demolishing the idea that the
West just descended into the medieval "Dark Ages." Beautifully
illustrated and drawing on the latest archaeological findings, this
monumental book provides a bold new interpretation of Ravenna's
lasting influence on the culture of Europe and the West.
Unrivalled Influenceexplores the exceptional roles that women played in the vibrant cultural and political life of medieval Byzantium. Written by one of the world's foremost historians of the ...Byzantine millennium, this landmark book evokes the complex and exotic world of Byzantium's women, from empresses and saints to uneducated rural widows. Drawing on a diverse range of sources, Judith Herrin sheds light on the importance of marriage in imperial statecraft, the tense coexistence of empresses in the imperial court, and the critical relationships of mothers and daughters. She looks at women's interactions with eunuchs, the in-between gender in Byzantine society, and shows how women defended their rights to hold land. Herrin describes how they controlled their inheritances, participated in urban crowds demanding the dismissal of corrupt officials, followed the processions of holy icons and relics, and marked religious feasts with liturgical celebrations, market activity, and holiday pleasures. The vivid portraits that emerge here reveal how women exerted an unrivalled influence on the patriarchal society of Byzantium, and remained active participants in the many changes that occurred throughout the empire's millennial history.
Unrivalled Influencebrings together Herrin's finest essays on women and gender written throughout the long span of her esteemed career. This volume includes three new essays published here for the very first time and a new general introduction by Herrin. She also provides a concise introduction to each essay that describes how it came to be written and how it fits into her broader views about women and Byzantium.
This volume explores the political, cultural, and ecclesiastical forces that linked the metropolis of Byzantium to the margins of its far-flung empire. Focusing on the provincial region of Hellas and ...Peloponnesos in central and southern Greece, Judith Herrin shows how the prestige of Constantinople was reflected in the military, civilian, and ecclesiastical officials sent out to govern the provinces. She evokes the ideology and culture of the center by examining different aspects of the imperial court, including diplomacy, ceremony, intellectual life, and relations with the church. Particular topics treat the transmission of mathematical manuscripts, the burning of offensive material, and the church's role in distributing philanthropy.
Herrin contrasts life in the capital with provincial life, tracing the adaptation of a largely rural population to rule by Constantinople from the early medieval period onward. The letters of Michael Choniates, archbishop of Athens from 1182 to 1205, offer a detailed account of how this highly educated cleric coped with life in an imperial backwater, and demonstrate a synthesis of ancient Greek culture and medieval Christianity that was characteristic of the Byzantine elite.
This collection of essays spans the entirety of Herrin's influential career and draws together a significant body of scholarship on problems of empire. It features a general introduction, two previously unpublished essays, and a concise introduction to each essay that describes how it came to be written and how it fits into her broader analysis of the unusual brilliance and longevity of Byzantium.
A riveting history of the city that led the West out of the ruins of the Roman Empire At the end of the fourth century, as the power of Rome faded and Constantinople became the seat of empire, a new ...capital city was rising in the West. Here, in Ravenna on the coast of Italy, Arian Goths and Catholic Romans competed to produce an unrivaled concentration of buildings and astonishing mosaics. For three centuries, the city attracted scholars, lawyers, craftsmen, and religious luminaries, becoming a true cultural and political capital. Bringing this extraordinary history marvelously to life, Judith Herrin rewrites the history of East and West in the Mediterranean world before the rise of Islam and shows how, thanks to Byzantine influence, Ravenna played a crucial role in the development of medieval Christendom.Drawing on deep, original research, Herrin tells the personal stories of Ravenna while setting them in a sweeping synthesis of Mediterranean and Christian history. She narrates the lives of the Empress Galla Placidia and the Gothic king Theoderic and describes the achievements of an amazing cosmographer and a doctor who revived Greek medical knowledge in Italy, demolishing the idea that the West just descended into the medieval "Dark Ages."Beautifully illustrated and drawing on the latest archaeological findings, this monumental book provides a bold new interpretation of Ravenna's lasting influence on the culture of Europe and the West.
The Early Middle Ages Consolino, Franca Ela; Herrin, Judith
07/2020, Letnik:
6.1
eBook
Examine the creative, profound dialogue between medieval women and biblical traditions The latest volume in the Bible and Women series examines the relationship between women and the Bible's ...reception during the early Middle Ages (500-1100 CE) in both the Greek East and the Latin West. Essays focus on interactions between women and the Bible through biblical precepts on women and for women, biblical women as the subjects of action or objects of discussion, and writings by women that refer to the Bible as a moral authority. The women discussed in the volume range from the well-known-including the nuns Kassia in Byzantium and Hrosvita in the West; the aristocrat Dhuoda, author of a moral guide for her son; Gisela, the sister of Charlemagne and abbess of Chelles; and her niece Rotrude-to those who remain anonymous. Contributions also explore how the Old and New Testaments exercised influence on emerging Islam. Features: Analysis of images of the Virgin Mary as a means of tracing the spread of her cult and feast days from East to West Exploration of the significance of classical culture for medieval women who composed poems for a Christian audience Evaluation of art as a means of establishing devotional relationships not necessarily mediated by the voices of preachers or the reading of texts .
In the eighth and ninth centuries, three Byzantine
empresses--Irene, Euphrosyne, and Theodora--changed history. Their
combined efforts restored the veneration of icons, saving Byzantium
from a purely ...symbolic and decorative art and ensuring its
influence for centuries to come. In this exhilarating and highly
entertaining account, one of the foremost historians of the
medieval period tells the story of how these fascinating women
exercised imperial sovereignty with consummate skill and sometimes
ruthless tactics. Though they gained access to the all-pervasive
authority of the Byzantine ruling dynasty through marriage, all
three continued to wear the imperial purple and wield tremendous
power as widows. From Constantinople, their own Queen City, the
empresses undermined competitors and governed like men. They
conducted diplomacy across the known world, negotiating with the
likes of Charlemagne, Roman popes, and the great Arab caliph Harun
al Rashid. Vehemently rejecting the ban on holy images instituted
by their male relatives, Irene and Theodora used craft and power to
reverse the official iconoclasm and restore icons to their place of
adoration in the Eastern Church. In so doing, they profoundly
altered the course of history. The art--and not only the art--of
Byzantium, of Islam, and of the West would have been very different
without them. As Judith Herrin traces the surviving evidence, she
evokes the complex and deeply religious world of Constantinople in
the aftermath of Arab conquest. She brings to life its monuments
and palaces, its court ceremonies and rituals, the role of eunuchs
(the "third sex"), bride shows, and the influence of warring monks
and patriarchs. Based on new research and written for a general
audience, Women in Purple reshapes our understanding of an
empire that lasted a thousand years and splashes fresh light on the
relationship of women to power.
