Christopher Lillington-Martin

MSt. (Oxon) Late Antique and Byzantine Studies

BA Hons (Wales, Swansea) Ancient History and History

Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona

Doctoral candidate at Coventry University

Researcher

Research Interests

Christopher´s current research centres on historiography and characterisation in Procopius. This is informed by his previous research and fieldwork on late antique military history and archaeology, specializing in the sixth century. His related research interests include the Late Antique Mediterranean world, trade, Flavius Belisarius and the Emperor Justinian. He has participated in archaeological projects at a number of sites in Britain (Calleva Atrebatum), Georgia (Archaeolopois), Spain (Pollentia and Can Blai) and Turkey (Dara and Cremna). He commenced his part-time Coventry University funded doctoral research in 2018, within the Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities, Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Publications

Most recent

“Turning Traitor: Shifting Loyalties in Procopius’ Gothic Wars” in BYZANTINA ΣΥΜΜΕΙΚΤΑ 31 (2021), pages 281-305 (co-authored with Michael E Stewart) Turning Traitor: Shifting Loyalties in Procopius’ Gothic Wars|Byzantina Symmeikta (ekt.gr)

Edited volume

Principal editor, Procopius of Caesarea: Literary and Historical Interpretations (with assistance from E. Turquois), www.routledge.com/9781472466044 (2018)

Forthcoming Chapters

“Procopius´ Xenophontic Dream” in: The Reception of Xenophon edited by Gish, D. and Farrell, C. (Brill, Leiden).

“Antonina patricia: Theodora’s Fixer?” in Empresses-in-waiting: Power, Performance, and the Female Court of the Later Roman Empire (4th-7thc.) edited by Rollinger, C. and Viermann, N. (Liverpool University Press).

Chapters

“Introduction” and chapter 10, “Procopius, πάρεδρος / quaestor, Codex Justinianus, I.27 and Belisarius’ strategy in the Mediterranean”, in Procopius of Caesarea: Literary and Historical Interpretations (in edited volume above);

“Procopius on the struggle for Dara and Rome” in: War and Warfare in Late Antiquity: Current Perspectives (Late Antique Archaeology 8.1-8.2 2010-11) by Sarantis A. and Christie N. (2010-11) edd. (Brill, Leiden 2013), pages 599-630, ISBN 978-90-04-25257-8 (MSt. dissertation);

“Fortifications in Spain” in: War and Warfare in Late Antiquity: Current Perspectives (Late Antique Archaeology 8.1-8.2 2010-11) by Sarantis A. and Christie N. (2010-11) edd. (Brill, Leiden 2013), pages 278-82 (co-authored with Oriol Olesti Vila).

“La defensa de Roma por Belisario” in: Justiniano I el Grande (Desperta Ferro) edited by Alberto Pérez Rubio, no. 18 (July 2013), pages 40-45, ISSN 2171-9276

Reviews

Review of: Roman military architecture on the frontiers: armies and their architecture in late antiquity edited by R. Collins, M. Symonds and M. Weber. Oxford; Philadelphia: Oxbow Books (2015) for Bryn Mawr Classical Review (6 October 2017), http://www.bmcreview.org/2017/10/20171011.html ;

Review of: Theodahad: A Platonic King at the Collapse of Ostrogothic Italy by Massimiliano Vitiello (2014) for University of Toronto Quarterly, Issue 85:3 (Summer 2016), 470-472. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/utq.85.3.470

Articles

“Hard and Soft Power on the Eastern Frontier: a Roman Fortlet between Dara and Nisibis, Mesopotamia, Turkey, Prokopios’ Mindouos?” in: The Byzantinist, edited by Douglas Whalin, Issue 2 (2012), pages 4-5. https://oxfordbyzantinesociety.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/obsnews2012final.pdf

“Procopius, Belisarius and the Goths” in: Journal of the Oxford University History Society: Odd Alliances, (2009) edited by H. Ellis and G. Iglesias Rogers, pp. 1-17. ISSN 1742917X, https://sites.google.com/site/jouhsinfo/issue7specialissueforinternetexplorer  

“Fragments of a Statue Base? Report on RIB 642 and 703”, British Epigraphy Society Workshop II (York 2008), pages 1-10, http://www.britishepigraphysociety.org/uploads/9/7/3/4/9734305/rib_642_and_703.pdf,

“Archaeological and Ancient Literary Evidence for a Battle near Dara Gap, Turkey, AD 530: Topography, Texts and Trenches” in: BAR –S1717, 2007 The Late Roman Army in the Near East from Diocletian to the Arab Conquest, Proceedings of a colloquium held at Potenza, Acerenza and Matera, Italy edited by Ariel S. Lewin and Pietrina Pellegrini, pages 299-311.

“Pilot Field-Walking Survey near Ambar & Dara, SE Turkey”, British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara: Travel Grant Report, Bulletin of British Byzantine Studies, 32 (2006), pages 40-45;

“Justinianic Greece”, British School at Athens: Hector & Elizabeth Catling Travel Bursary Report, Bulletin of British Byzantine Studies, 30 (2004), pages 29-35;

“Justinianic Fortifications in S.E. Turkey”, British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara: Travel Grant Report, Bulletin of British Byzantine Studies, 29 (2003), pages 41-43.

Public Engagement

Interview: “The Battle of Dara, 530” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgTE_nE9LpA 2018

Interview: “Conversing the Classics, Series II – Procopius”, recorded 2017, uploaded August 2019.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W46sCwldTOs&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR...

Interview: “Secret Histories”, Classics Confidential: Secret Histories, with Christopher Lillington-Martin – Classics Confidential

“Source for a handbook: Reflections of the Wars in the Strategikon and archaeology” in:  Ancient Wedited  by Jasper Oorthuys, Vol. IV, Issue 3 (June 2010), pages 33-37, http://www.karwanswarfare-issues/49-ancient-warfare-iv-3.html;

“Roman tactics defeat Persian pride” in Ancient W edited by Jasper Oorthuys, Vol. II, Issue 1 (February 2008), pages 36-40, http://www.kwarfare/ancient-warfare-issues/33-ancient-warfare-ii-1.html

Esteem indicators

Elected Fellow of the Society for Education and Training

Corpus Christi College, Oxford: MCR social member, until 2021

Pembroke College, Cambridge: Teacher Study Visitor, 2014-16

Invited speaker (funded) at conference / seminars:

Universities of Barcelona; Bristol; Basilicata; Évora; Exeter; Halle; JGU Mainz; Leeds; Mardin; Nice; Niš; Oxford (Kellogg, St. John’s, Corpus Christi Colleges and the Late Roman, Late Antique and Byz. Studies and Late Antique and Byz. Archaeology and Art Seminars); Reading; Roehampton; Sofia; Toronto and Venice                       

Forthcoming: Universities of Tübingen (Kolloquiumsvortrag), Innsbruck (Institut für Alte Geschichte und Altorientalistik)

Editorial service and peer-review

Principal editor, Procopius of Caesarea: Literary and Historical Interpretations (2014-17)

Peer referee of book proposals for University of Pennsylvania Press and Brill.

Peer reviewer of articles for Byzantion and Estudios bizantinos.

Peer reviewer of book for Bryn Mawr Classical Review and the University of Toronto Quarterly.

Editing drafts of colleagues’ books, chapters and articles (since 2005).

Conference Organisation

Co-organiser, with Elodie Turquois and Miranda Williams of the 'Reinventing Procopius' conference (Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 17–18 January 2014)