Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian

Belisarius and Antonina were a powerful marriage in the late Roman world, wielding more power than anyone except the emperor Justinian and empress Theodora. They were not universally successful, but their failures humanized them and made them more relatable to modern readers. Their private and public lives blended as they traveled together, and their marriage was one of the few from antiquity that speaks directly to contemporary readers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 20 August 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Some 1,500 years ago, in the illustrious age of Justinian, Belisarius and Antonina stood as colossal figures in the Roman realm. Belisarius, renowned as the most celebrated general of his era, achieved remarkable victories over the Persians, vanquished the Vandals and Goths, and his accomplishments were further augmented by his immense wealth. His wife, Antonina, was an impressive individual in her own right, earning a reputation for accompanying Belisarius on his military campaigns, deposing a pope, and engaging in schemes to tarnish the reputation of prominent Roman officials. Together, the duo wielded immense influence, rivaling even the emperor Justinian and empress Theodora in their power. However, their unbridled power and wealth did not guarantee universal success in all their endeavors. Belisarius and Antonina encountered setbacks in their military, political, and personal lives, including marital difficulties and challenges with their children. These failures humbled them, humanized them, and added a layer of relatability and intrigue to their story, making them captivating to us even today.

Belisarius & Antonina presents the first contemporary portrayal of this extraordinary partnership. They transcended the traditional roles of husband and wife, functioning as powerful partners. This concept may seem unconventional to us, as our immediate perception is that marriages in ancient times were strictly traditional, relegating wives to the domestic realm. However, Antonina was far from a reserved housewife, and Belisarius had no inclination for her to confine herself to the home. Their private and public lives intertwined seamlessly as they embarked on journeys together, sometimes accompanied by their children, and collaborated side by side. Their marriage stands as one of the most significant nonroyal unions of the late Roman world, and it is among a select few from antiquity that have endured the test of time.

Weight: 538g
Dimension: 164 x 243 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197574706