Rome and Byzantium in the Visigothic Kingdom: Beyond Imitatio Imperii by Damián Fernández 9789463726412

This volume interrogates the assumption that Visigothic practices and institutions were mere imitations of the Byzantine empire. Contributors rethink these practices not as uncritical and derivative adoptions of Byzantine customs, but as dynamic processes in dialogue with not only the Byzantine empire but also with the contemporary Iberian context, as well as the Roman past. The goal of the volume is to approach Visigothic customs not as an uncritical adoption and imitatio of contemporary Roman models (an "acculturation" model), but as unique interpretations of a common pool of symbols, practices, and institutions that formed the legacy of Rome. The contributors argue that it is necessary to reconsider the idea of imitatio imperii as a process that involved specific actors taking strategic decisions in historically contingent circumstances.

Book Information
ISBN 9789463726412
Author Damián Fernández
Format Hardback
Page Count 374
Imprint Amsterdam University Press
Publisher Amsterdam University Press