ABSTRACT
This chapter asks whether Ravenna, and especially San Vitale, is a globally Byzantine product or, in fact, a local one. James discusses the degree to which Byzantine art is ‘global’. Through a detailed analysis of the material culture of Ravenna, she shows that the concept of ‘Byzantine’, when discussing material production of this type, is problematic. She shows that art is about choices, and she discusses what the difference is between integration and influence, thus undermining the view that ‘Byzantium’ is closed and homogeneous.
