Whilst the Romans had developed the idea of guardianship and the Christian chuch the concept of charity, it was not until the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity around the 4th century that child welfare was really recognised as a problem and was addressed by government, the church and private individuals. This is a detailed study of the institutions and programmes that were developed to provide food, shelter, education and care for orphans in the Byzantine Empire. Miller emphasises the long and complex history of social welfare and highlights the surprising degree of sophistication of the procedures put in place to ensure the protection of children.