ABSTRACT
The long 6th century, roughly that time beginning with the reign of Anastasius I (491-518) and ending with the reign of Maurice in 602, was one of economic change and political transformation in Byzantium. While this time began peacefully enough – although with the Byzantines confined politically to their corner of the eastern Mediterranean –, the close of the era witnessed an Empire drastically altered, pressed by its enemies and economically less vibrant than when the age began. By the 7th century, due largely to the earlier efforts of Justinian, the Empire was in charge, if not in control, of territories extending from Ceuta at the Straits of Gibraltar to the Red Sea port of Aila. The social and political impact of this expansion remains debatable. As with many facets of the interaction of Byzantium with the West, the economic dimension of Justinian’s age is only now beginning to be explored.
