Single Combats and the Ethics of Military Leadership in the Early Byzantine Army

Abstract

The article is devoted to the tradition of single combats in the Early Byzantine army. The spread of such way of ascertaining the superiority was connected with the change in the principles of the Roman imperial army’s recruitment. The predominance of provincials and foreigners among the rank and file contributed to intensification of cross-cultural interaction within the military community. As a consequence, the Postclassical military ethos was forming in the dialogue between the Roman and barbarian cultures. This was reflected on the ethics of military leadership. The leaders had to stand out among other soldiers with courage, physical strength, fighting skill and confirm their outstanding qualities at war.

Keywords

• византия, византийская армия, варваризация, кросскультурные коммуникации, военное лидерство, воинские поединки.