This paper explores the strategies of enchantment (incantamento) employed in the elaboration of imperial power theory between Late Roman and early Byzantine contexts, with particular attention to the period between the fourth and seventh centuries. Taking as its point of departure the strategies of enchantment employed in official rhetoric and the teleologically oriented use of religion and its imagery, the study interprets these loci not merely as rhetorical embellishments, but as carefully constructed devices designed to produce a persuasive and affective representation of power. Focusing on selected theoretical loci developed between East and West and re-elaborated in the Constantinopolitan milieu, the study highlights the formation of a sophisticated imperial imagerie capable of legitimizing authority while simultaneously placing it beyond contestation. These strategies of enchantment function not only as instruments of political persuasion but also as key components of an immaterial cultural heritage that shaped Mediterranean area conceptions of sovereignty and power.
Keywords: Enchantment; Byzantine political theology; Immaterial culture; divine origin of Power; Rhetorical production