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Secondary sourceBook1912

The Age of Justinian and Theodora

William Gordon Holmes · 1912

A scholarly early 20th-century history of Justinian's reign and his court, including Empress Theodora.

A later scholarly history examining Justinian's reign and court.

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The Age of Justinian and TheodoraPDF · 396 pages
William Gordon Holmes, The Age of Justinian and Theodora, 1912.

About this source

What it is

This is a 1912 scholarly history book by William Gordon Holmes, titled The Age of Justinian and Theodora, covering the sixth-century reign of Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora.

Why it matters

Written centuries after Justinian's death, this book draws together earlier sources to present a connected account of his reign, laws, wars, and the influence of Theodora. It shows how later historians used ancient evidence to reconstruct and interpret this period of Byzantine history.

Look closer

  • Why might a historian in 1912 be interested in writing about a sixth-century emperor?
  • What kinds of sources would Holmes have needed to write this history?
  • How might a book written in early 1900s Britain view Justinian differently than a modern historian would?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Justinian I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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