Ecologizing Late Ancient and Byzantine Worlds

How can we study the late ancient and Byzantine history from ecological perspectives? How might one grapple with the more-than-human in sources and media created by humans? Exploring the diverse ways in which pre-modern texts engaged with the broader natural world, this book presents scholarly ventures into the terrains of the past. From the ancient treatises on dreams to monastic tales from the Hexameron literature to the Byzantine romance, from the Exeter Bookto a mysterious Byzantine icon, the chapters investigate a diverse range of literature and other sources, uncovering intricate ecosystems of relationships.

The team of leading international experts behind the volume focuses on encounters between human and more-than-human beings. They pay attention to the entanglement of multiple agencies that cut through texts and other meshes. With insights from such theoretical traditions as ecocriticism, new materialism and environmental humanities, they re-expose ancient media to the elements.

Author: Laura Borghetti
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: 08/07/2025
Series: Sera Tela: Studies in Late Antique Literature and Its Reception
Pages: 240
Weight: 1.13lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.56d
ISBN: 9781350505926