Justinian's Men

David Alan Parnell is Assistant Professor of History at Indiana University Northwest, USA. He has published numerous journal articles on the sixth-century Byzantine Empire and is also an award-winning teacher.

“Parnell has produced an innovative inquiry on the Byzantine army, adding a new kind of approach to the large bibliography on the subject, interesting for both Byzantine studies and general military history.” (Alexandru Madgearu, Speculum, Vol. 95 (2), 2020)“The strength of this book is that it uses social network theory plus an in depth analysis of the literary sources to assess the impact of social relationships behind military operations and the often-fraught relationship between general officers and emperors. … This book is easy to read and is useful not only for understanding the relationships between the military and the imperial government in late antiquity but also for a source for military history in general.” (Elizabeth Buchanan, Bryn Mawr Classical Review (BMCR), bmcr.brynmawr.edu, March 27, 2019)“Parnell’s book gives a magisterial sketch of the key aspects of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine army in the sixth century. Readers will be especially keen to make use of the material he discusses as well as his case-studies … .” (MISCHA MEIER, English Historical Review HER, Vol. 134 (566), February, 2019)

• Introduction.- 1. Byzantine Army Structure and Function.- 2. Identity in the Army: Romans and Barbarians.- 3. Officers and their Emperor.- 4. The Social Networks of Officers.- 5. Officers and their Families.- 6. Officers and their Men.- 7. Public Perception of the Army.- 8. Conclusion.