Description: This book offers an original approach to late Roman/early Byzantine diplomacy as a system. Assessing both official and clandestine perspectives, Ekaterina Nechaeva examines the working mechanisms of this diplomatic machine and reveals the 'block' organization of embassies as a basic feature of international communication.
Brief description: Ekaterina Nechaeva completed her PhD at the University of Siena in 2007 after graduating from the Saint-Petersburg State University. She is currently a Research Fellow in Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks/Harvard University. After a long career at the State Hermitage museum, she now lives in Rome where she is associated with the American Academy in Rome. Her current project is on 'defection and freedom' in the Late Antique world, with a focus on individuals who fled, deserted, or permanently left the Roman Empire.
Review Quotes: ...this book is a valuable resource for the study of late antique diplomacy, and a timely reminder of just how much material has survived relating to this important subject. The author has provided a helpful guide through this material, for which those wishing to undertake further research in the field will have reason to be grateful.--Doug Lee, University of Nottingham"Bryn Mawr Classical Review" (06/01/2015)