Must every single thread on the Byzantines devolve into a name discussion?
Anyway: By the Emperor's Hand. Love that book. Especially the emphasis on court regalia in addition to military uniforms. So many books with clothing reconstructions for antiquity and the middle ages focus exclusively on soldiers. This book is great at identifying trends, continuities, and different influences on Byzantine regalia from late antiquity up to the end of the middle ages.
I particular enjoy the focus on the Eparch of Constantinople -- a hugely important court dignitary that basically never shows up. The eparch's powers and role were designed to parallel the old Senatorial Urban Prefect of Rome, and it was one of the few court dignitaries that basically survived all the way up to the 4th Crusade with its powers intact. In recognition of this old senatorial role, the eparch (and the zoste patrikia) was the only person other than the emperor or empress entitled to wear a loros. Pretty neat.
Anyway: By the Emperor's Hand. Love that book. Especially the emphasis on court regalia in addition to military uniforms. So many books with clothing reconstructions for antiquity and the middle ages focus exclusively on soldiers. This book is great at identifying trends, continuities, and different influences on Byzantine regalia from late antiquity up to the end of the middle ages.
I particular enjoy the focus on the Eparch of Constantinople -- a hugely important court dignitary that basically never shows up. The eparch's powers and role were designed to parallel the old Senatorial Urban Prefect of Rome, and it was one of the few court dignitaries that basically survived all the way up to the 4th Crusade with its powers intact. In recognition of this old senatorial role, the eparch (and the zoste patrikia) was the only person other than the emperor or empress entitled to wear a loros. Pretty neat.
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