Description
Book SynopsisBelisarius & Antonina is a biography of an immensely powerful marriage in the time of Roman resurgence and expansion. It sheds new light on the reign of Justinian while exploring the successes, failures, and challenges of this unique partnership.
Trade ReviewThis is a splendid analysis of one of the great power couples of Late Antiquity. Outsiders both, Belisarius and Antonina, were alternatively welcome and unwelcome to their contemporaries; their lives together were objects of potent contemporary image making as well as intensely hostile gossip. Parnell does a masterful job untangling the complex traditions stemming from the ambiguity of their positions, both at the time and the later myths surrounding them. In so doing, he offers a valuable picture of the Roman Empire in the sixth century from a fresh perspective. * David Potter, University of Michigan *
Parnell brings to life these two enigmatic figures, Antonina and Belisarius, in an enthralling narrative, in which he shows not just the trials and tribulations of Belisarius' career, but also the invaluable role played by Antonina in his western campaigns. Throughout, while taking a middle ground regarding the vexatious Secret History, Parnell has a knack of teasing out valuable insight into Antonina's actions and Belisarius' motives, which are often obscured by Procopius' sometimes cagey accounts. * Conor Whately, University of Winnipeg *
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The World of Antonina 2. General of the East 3. Victory in Africa 4. The Eternal City 5. From Rome to Ravenna 6. Trying Times 7. Italy Redux 8. Twilight of a Power Couple 9. Afterlife and Legend Appendix 1: Dramatis Personae Appendix 2: Timeline Appendix 3: The Wealth of Belisarius Bibliography
