This book presents the first analytical account in English of major developments within Byzantine culture, society and the state in the crucial formative period from c.610-717. The seventh century saw the final collapse of ancient urban civilization and municipal culture, the rise of Islam, the evolution of patterns of thought and social structure that made imperial iconoclasm possible, and the development of state apparatuses--military, civil and fiscal--typical of the middle Byzantine state. Also, during this period, orthodox Christianity finally became the unquestioned dominant culture and a religious framework of belief (to the exclusion of alternative systems, which were henceforth marginalized or proscribed).
Contents
List of plates; List of maps; Preface and acknowledgements; Preface to the revised edition; List of abbreviations; The sources; Introduction; 1. The background: state and society before Heraclius; 2. The East Roman world c. 610–717: the politics of survival; 3. Some relations and the economy: the cities and the land; 4. Social relations and the economy: rural society; 5. The state and its apparatus: fiscal administration; 6. The state and its apparatus: military administration; 7. Society, state and law; 8. The imperial church and the politics of authority; 9. Religion and belief; 10. Forms of social and cultural organisation: infrastructures and hierarchies; 11. Forms of representation: language, literature and the icon; Conclusions: the transformation of a culture; Addendum: further observations on the question of the late ancient city; Bibliography; Index.
Reviews
"This is an excellent resource, superbly organized, and very well written, for students of ancient and medieval history at all stages." History
"...a good, well-informed synthesis with strong personal opinions...." N. Oikonomides, Canadian Journal of History
"A detailed survey of the following subjects, fully and impressively documented, serves to provide the reader with the first serious, comprehensive survey of all the major changes of this period: politics, economics, social relations, urban and rural societies, state fiscal and military administration, state and law, the imperial church and politics of authority, religion and belief, infrastructures and hierarchies, language, literature, and the icon....an absolute must for every student of Byzantium because it provides a substantial foundation for understanding how the Later Roman Empire became transformed into a distinctly Byzantine Empire. This is an excellent resource, superbly organized, and very well written, for students of ancient and medieval history at all stages." John E. Rexine, History
"...Haldon has made an important contribution which tackles problems not considered by other studies through well informed theorizing and places them together for the first time with the results of recent scholarship. It presents an ...attractive view of this culture in transition and provides a fine introduction to the history of the seventh century. Haldon is successful in depicting not only the seventh-century Byzantine world, but also its worldview." Paul M. Cobb, Journal of Near Eastern Studies
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