Averil Cameron

Fellow of the British Academy Warden Keble College Averil Cameron

Marked by a power shift from Rome to Constantinople and the Christianization of the Empire, this era requires a narrative and interpretative history of its own. Cameron, an authority on later Roman and early Byzantine history and culture, captures the pivotal fourth century, doing justice to the enormous explosion of recent scholarship.

The Later Roman Empire, AD 284-430

This thoroughly revised and expanded edition of The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity, now covering the period 395-700 AD, provides both a detailed introduction to late antiquity and a direct challenge to conventional views of the end of the Roman empire. Leading scholar Averil Cameron focuses on the changes and continuities in Mediterranean society as a whole before the Arab conquests. Two new chapters survey the situation in the east after the death of Justinian and cover the Byzantine wars with Persia, religious developments in the eastern Mediterranean during the life of Muhammad, the reign of Heraclius, the Arab conquests and the establishment of the Umayyad caliphate. Using the latest in-depth archaeological evidence, this all-round historical and thematic study of the west and the eastern empire has become the standard work on the period. The new edition takes account of recent research on topics such as the barbarian âe~invasionsâe(tm), periodization, and questions of decline or continuity, as well as the current interest in church councils, orthodoxy and heresy and the separation of the miaphysite church in the sixth-century east. It contains a new introductory survey of recent scholarship on the fourth century AD, and has a full bibliography and extensive notes with suggestions for further reading. The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity 395-700 AD continues to be the benchmark for publications on the history of Late Antiquity and is indispensible to anyone studying the period.

The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity, 395-700 AD

Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond

John Boardman

Andrew Lintott

Michael Whitby

Peter Garnsey

Alan K. Bowman

Bryan Ward-Perkins

Edward Champlin

Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards

Cyril John Gadd

David Malcolm Lewis

Frank William Walbank

A. E. Astin

John Anthony Crook

Elizabeth Rawson

Dominic Rathbone

J. A. Crook

This volume of 'The Cambridge Ancient History' embraces the wide range of approaches and scholarships which have in recent decades transformed our view of late antiquity.

The Cambridge Ancient History

Images of Women in Antiquity

For many of us, Byzantium remains "byzantine"—obscure, marginal, difficult. Despite the efforts of some recent historians, prejudices still deform popular and scholarly understanding of the Byzantine civilization, often reducing it to a poor relation of Rome and the rest of the classical world. In this book, renowned historian Averil Cameron presents an original and personal view of the challenges and questions facing historians of Byzantium today. The book explores five major themes, all subjects of controversy. "Absence" asks why Byzantium is routinely passed over, ignored, or relegated to a sphere of its own. "Empire" reinserts Byzantium into modern debates about empire, and discusses the nature of its system and its remarkable longevity. "Hellenism" confronts the question of the "Greekness" of Byzantium, and of the place of Byzantium in modern Greek consciousness. "The Realms of Gold" asks what lessons can be drawn from Byzantine visual art, and "The Very Model of Orthodoxy" challenges existing views of Byzantine Christianity. Throughout, the book addresses misconceptions about Byzantium, suggests why it is so important to integrate the civilization into wider histories, and lays out why Byzantium should be central to ongoing debates about the relationships between West and East, Christianity and Islam, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, and the ancient and medieval periods. The result is a forthright and compelling call to reconsider the place of Byzantium in Western history and imagination.

Byzantine Matters

Originally published by Duckworth and the University of California Press, Procopius is now available for the first time in paperback. Professor Cameron emphasises the essential unity of Procopius' three works and, starting from the `minor' ones, demonstrates their intimate connection with the Wars. Procopius' writings are seen to comprise a subtle whole; only if they are understood in this way can their historical value be properly appreciated. The result is a new evaluation of Procopius which will be central to any future history of the sixth century.

Procopius and the Sixth Century

‘. . . I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium.’ W. B. Yeats From the foundation of Constantinople in 330 to its fall in 1453, this brief history explores the key components of Byzantine Christianity, including the development of monasticism, icons and iconoclasm, the role of the emperor in relation to church councils and beliefs, the difficult relationship with the papacy and the impact of the Crusades. The book also considers Byzantine Christianity as a living force today: the variety and vitality of Orthodox churches, the role of the Church in Russia and the enduring relevance of a spirituality derived from the church fathers. ‘Averil Cameron’s work has transformed our understanding of Byzantium, and here she offers an authoritative survey of its history and legacy . . . This is a lucid, informative and impressively wide-ranging brief history.’ Gillian Clark FBA, Emeritus Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Bristol

A Very Brief History

Byzantine Christianity

Roberto Barbieri

storia

L'Europa del Medioevo e del Rinascimento

Geoffrey R. D. King

(papers of the Second Workshop on Late Antiquity and Early Islam). Land use and settlement patterns

The Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East

Many reasons can be given for the rise of Christianity in late antiquity and its flourishing in the medieval world. In asking how Christianity succeeded in becoming the dominant ideology in the unpromising circumstances of the Roman Empire, Averil Cameron turns to the development of Christian discourse over the first to sixth centuries A.D., investigating the discourse's essential characteristics, its effects on existing forms of communication, and its eventual preeminence. Scholars of late antiquity and general readers interested in this crucial historical period will be intrigued by her exploration of these influential changes in modes of communication. The emphasis that Christians placed on language--writing, talking, and preaching--made possible the formation of a powerful and indeed a totalizing discourse, argues the author. Christian discourse was sufficiently flexible to be used as a public and political instrument, yet at the same time to be used to express private feelings and emotion. Embracing the two opposing poles of logic and mystery, it contributed powerfully to the gradual acceptance of Christianity and the faith's transformation from the enthusiasm of a small sect to an institutionalized world religion.

The Development of Christian Discourse

Christianity and the Rhetoric of Empire

This book discusses the historical value and sixth century context of the Greek historian Procopius of Caesarea.

Andrew William Lintott

Over the past half century The Cambridge Ancient History has established itself as a definitive work of reference. The original edition was published in twelve text volumes between 1924 and 1939. Publication of the new edition began in 1970. Every volume of the old edition has been totally re-thought and re-written with new text, maps, illustrations and bibliographies. Some volumes have had to be expanded into two or more parts and the series has been extended by two extra volumes (XIII and XIV) to cover events up to AD 600, bringing the total number of volumes in the set to fourteen. Existing plates to the volumes are available separately. *Profusely illustrated with maps, drawings and tables. *Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the history of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East from prehistoric times to AD 600 by an international cast of editors and contributors.

Amélie Kuhrt

The agenda and significance of women in antiquity has gained considerable attention in recent years. In this book diverse roles for and attitudes to women in ancient societies are explored: women as witches, as courtesans, as mothers, as priestesses, as nuns, as heiresses and typically as eranged. The shifting focus is variously economic, social, biological, religious and artistic. The studies cover a wide geographic and chronological range, from the ancient Hittite kingdom to the Byzantine Empires. This book has been brought thoroughly up to date with the addition of a new introduction and addenda to individual chapters.

Judith Herrin

The Parastaseis Syntomoi Chronikai : Introduction, Translation, and Commentary

Constantinople in the Early Eighth Century

Eusebius (of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea)

Stuart George Hall

The emperor Constantine changed the world by making the Roman Empire Christian. Eusebius wrote his life and preserved his letters so that his policy would continue. This English translation is the first based on modern critical editions. Its Introduction and Commentary open up the many important issues the Life of Constantine raises.

Life of Constantine

Cambridge University Press

Simon Hornblower

Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art and Fellow John Boardman

Student of Christ Church and Professor of History D M Lewis

D. M. Lewis

M. Ostwald

Peter Gamsey

This book provides both a detailed introduction to the vivid and exciting period of `late antiquity' and a direct challenge to conventional views of the end of the Empire.

The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity

Many reasons can be given for the rise of Christianity in late antiquity and its flourishing in the medieval world. In asking how Christianity succeeded in becoming the dominant ideology in the unpromising circumstances of the Roman Empire, Averil Cameron turns to the development of Christian discourse over the first to sixth centuries A.D., investigating the discourse's essential characteristics, its effects on existing forms of communication, and its eventual preeminence. Scholars of late antiquity and general readers interested in this crucial historical period will be intrigued by her exploration of these influential changes in modes of communication. The emphasis that Christians placed on language—writing, talking, and preaching—made possible the formation of a powerful and indeed a totalizing discourse, argues the author. Christian discourse was sufficiently flexible to be used as a public and political instrument, yet at the same time to be used to express private feelings and emotion. Embracing the two opposing poles of logic and mystery, it contributed powerfully to the gradual acceptance of Christianity and the faith's transformation from the enthusiasm of a small sect to an institutionalized world religion.

Winner of the 2006 John D. Criticos Prize This book introduces the reader to the complex history, ethnicity, and identity of the Byzantines. This volume brings Byzantium – often misconstrued as a vanished successor to the classical world – to the forefront of European history Deconstructs stereotypes surrounding Byzantium Beautifully illustrated with photographs and maps

The Byzantines

Niels Gaul

"This is the first book to deal with the writing of literary and philosophical dialogues in Greek from the Roman empire to the end of Byzantium and beyond. Arranged in chronological order, 16 case studies combining theoretical approaches and in-depth analysis introduce a wide array of such dialogues, including consideration of the neighbouring Syriac, Georgian, and Armenian, as well as Latin traditions"--Provided by publisher.

Averil Cameron

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