Foreword
The genesis and completion of this volume is indebted to the avid interest of
a great many people who realized that a comprehensive and systematic treat-
ment of Ostrogothic Italy was lacking in English scholarship. For all the dili-
gent and careful attention given to the Ostrogoths in recent decades, and in as
much as so many debates about the end of the western Roman Empire and the
emergence of early medieval Europe are contingent upon an understanding
of the Ostrogothic kingdom, it is something of a surprise that scholarship has
not produced a more recent comprehensive collection of essays representing
the many perspectives and approaches present in the field of Ostrogothic stud-
ies. The opportunity to seriously discuss this lacuna with interested colleagues
arose on the occasion of the 47th meeting of the International Congress on
Medieval Studies at the University of Western Michigan (Kalamazoo), where
Deborah Deliyannis organized three panels dedicated to Ostrogothic Italy. For
her good instincts and her role in facilitating that meeting, we owe Deborah a
cheerful debt of gratitude. We would also like to thank the series editors at Brill
with whom it has been a constant pleasure to work. Julian Deahl initially shep-
herded this volume through its various growing pains until his retirement from
Brill in 2015. We would like to thank Julian for answering the endless queries
from the volume’s editors with both good humour and good advice. Similarly,
we very much want to thank Kate Hammond and Marcella Mulder for see-
ing the project through to production and publication after Julian’s retirement.
Their task was equally weighty. Finally, this volume would not have been possi-
ble but for the many fine scholars who contributed their patience, dedication,
and expertise in the form of the chapters contained within it. Although the
volume editors are deeply gratified by the quality of the published book, we are
more appreciative of the friendships that have grown out of this collaboration.
Ennodius, Boethius, and Cassiodorus would have envied such an opportunity.
Jon Arnold, M. Shane Bjornlie, and Tina Sessa
December 2015