Symbols of Power: Imperial Self-Presentation to the East and West

The paper will examine the way the Byzantines dealt and addressed the concept of empire through the image of the emperor. It will focus not only on the ideological terms for the building of empire, but mainly on symbolic terms discussing the visual language and its conventions, and the symbols they developed to communicate this concept. The Byzantine court as the place of world dominion emanated in this way the power to rule for the presentation of the court/emperor to themselves as well as to others. This would be the official political imagery issued by the imperial administration in a variety of ways and domains. The paper examines the differences, in terms of objects and images, that the court used for self-presentation as well as towards its neighbors to the West and to the East.

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