The Vision of the Palace of the Byzantine Emperors as a Heavenly Jerusalem, by Maria Cristina Carile
Antony Eastmond
In the middle Byzantine period earthly court of emperors was regarded by contemporaries as a mirror heavenly Christ. Maria Carile’s thesis in this book (based on her 2007 Ph.D. dissertation) is that we can trace idea back to Late Antique period. As evidence for this, Carile looks palaces She brings together (very limited) archaeological record imperial with ekphraseis and, above all, images and cityscapes mosaics fifth sixth century. seeks look an analogy between realm divine not positivist attempt simply reconstruct what know about physical environment Antiquity. Instead, title announces, it study ‘vision’ palace. interested symbolic power palaces, how they were imagined conceived, way actually appeared. Given lack (none has ever been comprehensively excavated), partial nature literary evidence, focus instead vision palace pragmatic sensible solution.
The English Historical Review