ABSTRACT
By way of an introduction to the subject of this volume, I would like to record some of my own ‘authorities’, those whose work rst attracted me to Byzantium and who inuenced my understanding of it. In the way of life, this always has a peculiarly accidental aspect … what if I’d met … or if I hadn’t done that … the delightful serendipity of events that prove decisive. But rst, I want to thank my colleagues, Charlotte Roueché, Dennis Stathakopoulos and Tassos Papacostas who organised the original conference in January 2009, and Pamela Armstrong who edited the volume with such skill. It is another tribute to the collective inspiration and energy of Byzantine Studies at King’s College London, which I have been so fortunate to share. So this is not just an acknowledgement of expertise and an appreciation of outstanding ability, but also a very special thank you to them, to the western medievalists who kindly chaired each session and whose comments are also included, as well as all the other contributors and participants in the conference.
