Collana | The 24th International Congress of Byzantine Studies
Miscellanea | Proceedings of the Plenary Sessions
Capitolo | Symploke and complexio

Symploke and complexio

Entangling and Dis-Entangling the Networks of the Roman Empire of the East in the Early Medieval World, Fourth-Ninth Century CE

Abstract

The paper synthesises and develops further several attempts to model aspects of the complexity of the infrastructure and administrative organisation of the Roman Empire between the 4th and 8th century CE based on evidence from historiography, historical geography, sigillography and archaeology. It provides a short introduction into concepts and analytical tools of network theory. Furthermore, the paper combines this approach with a visualisation of the spatial range of Roman power and maps based on mobility and perceptions of contemporaries. Thereby, the already successful integration of the ‘relational turn’ to Byzantine studies shall be demonstrated.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 21 Dicembre 2021 | Accettato: 02 Febbraio 2022 | Pubblicato 22 Agosto 2022 | Lingua: en

Keywords Roman administrationComplexity theoryLate antiquityRoman infrastructureLate AntiquityNetwork analysisEarly Medieval Mediterranean


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