Commercial networks between the Byzantine Empire and Europe, including the British Isles
Elena Ene DRAGHICI-VASILESCU
Published in The World of Tradition
Keywords: Byzantine Empire, Commercial networks.
In the literature concerning Byzantium usually the historical phenomena are analysed as they took place along the Eastern-Western axis of its territory. What my paper proposes is an alternative to this approach. Because of the need to circulate goods between the Mediterranean and the North Sea, roads were constructed to connect the two, and along these both merchandises (textiles, metal objects, etc.) and cultural items as manuscripts, ivory for book covers, pigments for painting, etc. were transported. The same thoroughfares and points of connection within a large network were used for religious purposes and by the military. I adduce testimonies to make a strong argument that the division ‘North-South’ within the Empire was as important as that ‘East-West’.
Frederick Barbarossa’s last crusade on the Liber ad Honorem Augusti
Nachman FALBEL and Vinicius Cesar Dreger de ARAÚJO
Original title: A última Cruzada de Frederico Barbarossa no Liber ad Honorem Augusti
Published in The Middle Ages and the Crusades
Keywords: Byzantine Empire, Crusade, Frederick I, Holy Roman Empire.
This paper wants to study the iconography about Frederick Barbarossa’s expedition in the Third Crusade in the Liber ad Honorem Augusti of Petrus de Ebulo, composed to laudate Henry VI in late XIIth century. Thus, we looked for the comprehension of the images in various contexts: from their origins – the Norman Kingdom of Sicily – and the proper crusade of Barbarossa.
