These essays survey the range of historical sources from the peoples who collided with the Byzantine Empire during this period of dramatic upheaval. They give an overview of this often difficult material, and provide detailed bibliographies. Latin, Arabic, Jewish, Slavonic, Georgian, Armenian and Syriac sources are all discussed.

The 13 essays presented here shed new light on the role of panegyric in the western and eastern Roman Empire in the late antique world. Introductory chapters give an overview of panegyrical theory and practice, followed by studies of major writers of the early empire and the anonymous Panegyrici latini. The core of the volume deals with prose and verse panegyric under the Christian Roman Empire (4th-7th century): key themes addressed are social and political context, the 'hidden agenda', and the impact of Christianity on the pagan tradition of the panegyric, including the portrayal of...

The title of Mary Whitby's book 'From a Distance', is a line from a poem of the same name in this collection. The golden sprayed waves on the cover give a hint to the poem's content and is just one of the experiences where the author finds her inspiration. Her work with children, the horrors of war, her love of nature, traditions of Christmas and everyday incidents find their way into her writing. Her poems will inspire, amuse, and perhaps even cause you to recall memories of your own experiences. Things that touch her heart inevitably end up in a poem, be it sad, funny, shocking or...