The early Roman empire took a militaristic attitude towards its neighbours, but by the reign of Justinian a complex stance had evolved in which military force was tempered by diplomacy. Covering the period from the Peace of Nisibis in 299 to the death of Anastasius in 518, the author traces the development of the diplomatic element in late East Roman foreign policy from a mere adjunct or epilogue to war, into something with the capacity of being an alternative for war. Offers a detailed narrative history of the military and diplomatic activity in this field.