The preceding two chapters discussed the presence of ethnographic discourse in representation of the barbarian peoples and individuals who had come to rule portions of the former Roman and Chinese empires. Thus far, a central focus has been the ways in which Procopius and the historians of the Jin shu 晉書 offer critical evaluations of individual barbarian actors and the presence or absence of ethnographic rhetoric in those assessments. An underlying theme that has run throughout the discussion is the question of political legitimacy and its relationship to assumptions inherent in the respective bodies of ethnological discourse. While the preceding chapters have focused more on general forms of ethnic or individual representation, this chapter will address the question of political legitimacy directly: How was political legitimacy conceived of in Rome and China in this period and to what degree did perceptions of ethnic identity function as criteria in its construction and articulation?