Abstract

214 BOOK REVIEWS of hagiographical texts that praise family members as saints. Shaun Tougher, the co-editor of this volume, in “Imperial Families: The Case of the Macedonians (867–1056)”, considers imperial families and their characteristics, especially the Macedonian dynasty (867–1056). An interesting aspect of this chapter is that Tougher deals with imperial siblings of the Mace- donian dynasty (i.e. Leo VI and Alexander, Basil II and Constantine VIII, Zoe and Theodora) and the relations between family members in these families. Nadia Maria El Cheikh, in “An Abbasid Caliphal Family”, deals with the Islamic family during the ʿAbbāsid period, and especially with the family of the ʿAbbāsid caliph. Dirk Krausmüler’s essay, “Byzantine Monas- tic Communities: Alternative Families”, deals with an interesting aspect of the history of Byzantine history. He examines, using hagiography and monastic rules, how monastic com- munities functioned as families during the Middle Byzantine period. While other essays in this collection explore situations where monastic life was somehow a rejection of normal family life, Krausmüler points out how family could serve as a model for ascetic life. The last two chapters focus on Late Byzantine families. Leonora Neville’s “Families, Politics, and Memories of Rome in the Material for History