Visions of Community in the Post-Roman World: The West, Byzantium and the Islamic World, 300-1100 ed. by Walter Pohl, Clemens Gantner, and Richard Payne
Aaron M. Moreno
Reviewed by: Visions of Community in the Post-Roman World: The West, Byzantium and Islamic World, 300-1100 ed. by Walter Pohl, Clemens Gantner, Richard Payne Aaron M. Moreno 300-1100, (Burlington: Ashgate 2012) 575 pp. In June 2009, an international congress was held Vienna, with goal better understanding divergent histories medieval Western Europe, Byzantium, Muslim Near East through examination “political role ethnicity religion post-Roman Mediterranean.” A majority papers presented at this conference, addition to a significant number very welcome additions, were published 2012 as 300–1100. As title suggests, 550-page collection thirty-two essays is not limited Mediterranean—too often catch-all for comparative works investigating Christian worlds. Instead, evaluates varying notions “community” throughout entire late former Roman empire (with two unexpected forays into Tibetan region, one less-surprising Sassanian world) historical impacts thereof. Most submissions stay within chronological field spanning antiquity early Crusades. term vague one, but, clear from afore-cited conference program, organizers Vienna originally envisioned its use ethnic religious sense. originality volume, however, lies contributing authors’ implicit occasionally explicit evaluation whether these potential boundaries perceived and/or utilized [End Page 354] contemporaries, result that or both such groupings are rejected qualified (especially scholars areas outside western Europe), visions community along regional or, broadly speaking, socio-political, lines preferred. Payne’s “Avoiding Ethnicity” article advances idea elite antique upper Mesopotamia emphasized elements civic, religious, familial history strategies distinction but rather inclusion world nobility. Likewise, Hartmut Lepin recounts efforts Syrian bishop Evagrius stress (a flexibile) identity on Byzantine frontier sixth century. regards communities, common theme which seems arise gradual rise prominence local identities peripheries, expense imperial ones. This proposition hardly novel, questions asked volume can help reader attain deeper process significance. For example, Kaegi argues conquest North Africa greatly aided African resentment centralized tax policies reluctance send their home-grown troops fight distant military fronts mid-seventh similar vein, John Haldon suggests later seventh-century shift towards localism Anatolia system. Interestingly, Gantner draws attention south-central Italian advocated ninth-century popes face threat. Not all communities Empire organized identities, however. Lynn Jones demonstrates, there sense Armenian during period rule— although it certainly did lead political unity. Syriac Christians, another miaphysite community, also receive treatment Bas ter Haar Romeny making interesting argument ethinc twelfth other contributed make clear, means communal formation Dār al-Islām more dominant common. Michael Morony “formed basic organizing structures” (157) world, Hugh Kennedy’s thoughtful complements premise revealing intra...
Comitatus-a Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies