Review: Rome and Byzantium in the Visigothic Kingdom: Beyond "Imitatio Imperii," edited by Damián Fernández, Molly Lester, and Jamie Wood.

This volume, resulting from a 2019 Princeton workshop, examines how the Visigothic Kingdom in Iberia engaged with Roman and Byzantine imperial models beyond simple imitation, emphasizing the plurality and flexibility of "romanitas" (Romanness). Through thirteen chapters, contributors analyze a wide...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Studies in Late Antiquity Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 114 - 119
Autor principal: Devlin, Rebecca A.
Formato: Book Review
Publicado: University of California Press Spring2026
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:This volume, resulting from a 2019 Princeton workshop, examines how the Visigothic Kingdom in Iberia engaged with Roman and Byzantine imperial models beyond simple imitation, emphasizing the plurality and flexibility of "romanitas" (Romanness). Through thirteen chapters, contributors analyze a wide range of primary sources—including legal codes, hagiographies, and material culture—to reveal the strategic and innovative ways Visigothic rulers and elites shaped political, religious, and economic institutions in Toulouse and Toledo. The work challenges earlier historiographic trends focused on ethnic essentialism and Spanish exceptionalism, highlighting Iberian agency within broader Mediterranean networks. While archaeological evidence is incorporated to some extent, the volume primarily advances late antique scholarship by offering nuanced perspectives on Visigothic rulership, identity, and imperial symbolism.