Christian Settipani
Christian Settipani (born 31 January 1961) is a French genealogist, historian and IT professional, currently working as the Technical Director of a company in Paris. Biography. Settipani holds a Master of Advanced Studies from the Paris-Sorbonne University (1997), received a doctorate in history in December 2013 from the University of Lorraine with a dissertation entitled "Les prétentions généalogiques à Athènes sous l'empire romain" ("Genealogical claims in Athens under the Roman Empire") and obtained in June 2019 from the Sorbonne university an habilitation (highest qualification level issued through university process) for a dissertation entitled "Liens dynastiques entre Byzance  et l'étranger à l'époque des Comnène et des Paléologue" (dynastic links between Byzantium and foreign countries under the Komnenos and Paleologos"). He collaborates with the U.M.R 8167 "Orient et Mediterranée - le monde byzantin" laboratory from the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). Settipani is best known for his work on the genealogy and prosopography of elites in Europe and the Near East. He has given particular attention to the possibility of genealogical continuity between families of late antiquity and families of the early mediaeval period, as revealed by shared naming patterns amongst them (see Descent from antiquity). Settipani  is co-founder and general editor with Katharine S. B. Keats-Rohan of the publication series of the Unit for Prosopographical Research at Linacre College of Oxford University. Settipani's work is an important example of the trend in early mediaeval historical studies away from the idea, dominant for centuries, that elites of the late Roman Empire were entirely displaced in the West by unrelated Germanic invaders and "new men" or, alternatively, that to the extent they may not have been displaced memories of their origins and ties have become irretrievably obscured. This revision has contributed to better understanding of  familial relations, society, and politics in that era, through a broad presentation of the subject matter, extensive citation of prior research and alternative viewpoints, and solutions to genealogical and prosopographical questions; Settipani has published his own work and has been extensively cited in scholarly papers and books on early mediaeval western European history. However, a few scholars have expressed concern that Settipani's presentation lacks accessibility, and that the very breadth and volume of the material which he treats in a single work tend to make it more difficult to evaluate his conclusions and their implications for specific historical contexts . Publications. Books. The earlier works were originally published by Éditions Francis Christian in French. Later works have been released via other publishers.