Hierarchies of Rank and Materials: Diplomatic Gifts Sent by Romanus I in 935 and 938
Abstract
In two surviving lists of diplomatic gifts that were sent by the emperor Romanus I in 935 to the king of Italy and again in 938 to the caliph of Bagdad there is a quantity of precious artefacts which differ when compared. The analysis of the objects according to their extant paradigms in different collections contributes to our understanding of the luxuriousness of the gifts and hints to their symbolic value. Special emphasis is paid to the glass objects and the rock crystal ones since the gifts to the caliph included the latter, while those to the king of Italy the cheaper glass. It is thus concluded that in Byzantium there was a diplomatic hierarchy, which was followed by a corresponding quality of gifts.
Article Details
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MUNDELL MANGO, M. (2011). Hierarchies of Rank and Materials: Diplomatic Gifts Sent by Romanus I in 935 and 938. Deltion of the Christian Archaeological Society, 24, 365–374. https://doi.org/10.12681/dchae.395
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