Byzantium and Bulgaria, 775-831: Winner of the 2013 John Bell Book Prize (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9789004206953)

This innovative survey of Byzantium's relations with pre-Christian Bulgaria in the late eighth and early ninth century offers an entirely new framework for understanding the developments that shaped one of the most turbulent periods in the history of the early Medieval Balkans. Unlike previous studies, it integrates the surviving literary sources with the ever-growing archaeological record to construct a comprehensive narrative account of the Byzantine-Bulgar conflict for political mastery in the region. Moreover, the analysis of the changing socio-political structures of Bulgaria provides a basis for understanding its transformation from a loose tribal confederation into a stable monarchy. While this is primarily a regional study, focusing on the territories and peoples controlled by the two competing powers, it is also of interest to students of the Frankish, Arab and steppe-nomad worlds, since the relations between Byzantium and Bulgaria are put into a wider international context.

Author: Panos Sophoulis
ISBN-10: 9004206957
ISBN-13: 9789004206953
Publisher: Brill
Language: English
Published: 10/06/2011
Pages: 382
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 9.60h x 6.50w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 12/01/2011 pg. 26