Barbarians and brothers-in-arms: Byzantines on barbarian soldiers in the sixth century
The modern explanation of the Byzantine distinction between Roman and barbarian has focused on a dichotomy based on political allegiance to the emperor. In this interpretation, while individuals could change identity by changing loyalty, the categories themselves did not change. This essay argues th...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Published: |
2016
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In: |
Byzantinische Zeitschrift
Year: 2015, Volume: 108, Issue: 2, Pages: 809-826 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | The modern explanation of the Byzantine distinction between Roman and barbarian has focused on a dichotomy based on political allegiance to the emperor. In this interpretation, while individuals could change identity by changing loyalty, the categories themselves did not change. This essay argues that sixth-century Byzantine military elites had more complex opinions about identity and loyalty. In particular, they could accept that many who served the emperor loyally were in fact non-Romans and even barbarians, even if they liked them and refrained from using that term pejoratively. In fact, Byzantines could exhibit approval and fondness of non-Romans in loyal service to the emperor. The application of the pejorative label “barbarian” to non-Romans serving in the Byzantine military was limited to occasions when criticism was deemed appropriate (such as the misbehavior of the non-Roman) and those situations in which a reference to traditional barbarian tropes served a literary purpose. |
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ISSN: | 1868-9027 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Byzantinische Zeitschrift
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/bz-2015-0025 |