Briefkultur und politische Kommunikation im Zeichen einer “poströmischen” Konstellation: Ostrom, das Papsttum und die westlichen Reiche um 600

The project examines three letter collections dating from the 6th century: the Registrum of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), the Epistolae Austrasicae and the Epistolae Visigothicae. The aim is to illuminate the far-reaching communication in the Mediterranean region. Questions are, how do letters work as a medium of political communication and, what can these letter collections tell us about embassies and political communication. The project tries to understand how political communication between East Rome, the papacy and the Western kingdoms influenced the process of political decision making in a changing Mediterranean world.