"This book is devoted to three churches in ancient Ravenna that were built during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the decisive period of his administration and, at least in part, at his command. Sant' Appollinare in Classe, Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, and San Vitale, with their architecture and their famous mosaics largely intact, are perhaps the greatest surviving monuments of the early period of Christian art, which not only culminate but ends with them. Otto von Simson emphasizes the complex political, religious, and liturgical themes of the mosaics in these sanctuaries, providing important insights into the Byzantine society of the sixth century. this edition includes forty-eight pages of improved illustrations." --From cover.