The New Middle Ages: Image and Empire

McClanan, A.

This book reconsiders a wide array of images of Byzantine empresses on media as diverse as bronze coins and gold mosaic from the fifth through to the seventh centuries A.D. The representations have often been viewed in terms of individual personas, but strong typological currents frame their medieval context. Empress Theodora, the target of political pornography, has consumed the bulk of past interest, but even her representations fit these patterns. Methodological tools from fields as disparate as numismatics as well as cultural and gender studies help clarify the broader cultural significance of female imperial representation and patronage at this time.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2003-11-04

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9780312294922

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-137-04469-3

Dimensions: 216cm x140cm

Pages: 282