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Medieval Syriac Historians' Perceptions of the Turks

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Medieval Syriac Historians' Perceptions of the Turks Medieval Syriac Historians’ Perceptions of the Turks by Mark Dickens Clare Hall MPhil Dissertation in Aramaic and Syriac Studies Faculty of Oriental Studies University of Cambridge Supervisor: Dr. Erica Hunter August 2004 Preface This thesis examines how the Turks were perceived in three medieval Syriac chronicles: the Chronicle of Michael the Great, the Anonymous Chronicle to AD 1234, and the Chronicle of Bar ‘Ebroyo (Bar Hebraeus). Chapter 1 gives an overview of Syriac historiography, Chapter 2 focusses on the medieval Syriac chronicles and Chapter 3 looks at the Turks in the medieval Syriac chronicles in general. Because of its integral importance to this subject, Chapters 4-7 focus on Book XIV of Michael’s Chronicle, including extensive excerpts from my translation of the Syriac text (with reference to the French translation made by Jean- Baptiste Chabot). This is the first time this text has been translated into English, to my knowledge. I am thankful to many people who helped me significantly while writing this thesis, especially my supervisor, Dr. Erica Hunter, who suggested the topic and guided both my translation of the Syriac text and the overall progress of the thesis from its infancy to its final state. I am also grateful to the following scholars who gave suggestions, answered questions, or sent copies of articles or books I was unable to find otherwise: Kevin Brook (The American Centre of Khazar Studies), Dr. Jan van Ginkel (University of Leiden), Dr. Peter Golden (Rutgers University), Dr. Amir Harrak (University of Toronto), Dr. Michael Herren (York University), Dr. Ralph-Johannes Lilie (Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften), Dr. H.B. Paksoy (Lubbock, Texas), Dr. Stephen Rapp (Georgia State University), Dr. Bas Romeny (University of Leiden), Fr. Stephen Ryan, O.P. (Couvent Saint- Hyacinthe), Dr. Harald Suermann (University of Bonn), Dr. David Taylor (University of Oxford), Dr. Dorothea Weltecke (University of Göttingen), Dr. Witold Witakowski (Uppsala University) and Dr. Edwin Yamauchi (Miami University, Ohio). Finally, I am indebted to Dr. Charles Weiss (University of Cambridge) and Patty Cress for their invaluable help in translating several texts from Latin and German, respectively. I dedicate this thesis to my wife Ruth and our son Yaqub, as well as to my parents, Blake and Bridget Dickens, in gratitude for their love and support. > (mg (asj asjlk (m( Hvix Nqlc ?xwa i Table of Contents Abbreviations and Conventions.......................................................................................................................1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................2 Medieval Syriac Chroniclers .......................................................................................................................2 Steppe Invaders............................................................................................................................................3 Structure of the Thesis.................................................................................................................................4 Chapter 1: Syriac Historiography ....................................................................................................................6 Syriac Chronicles.........................................................................................................................................6 Changing Dynamics in Syriac Historiography ............................................................................................7 Chapter 2: Medieval Syriac Chronicles ...........................................................................................................9 Michael the Great ........................................................................................................................................9 Michael’s Chronicle ....................................................................................................................................9 Manuscript History and Sources................................................................................................................11 The Anonymous Chronicler ......................................................................................................................12 The Anonymous Chronicle ........................................................................................................................13 Bar ‘Ebroyo ...............................................................................................................................................14 Bar ‘Ebroyo’s Chronicles..........................................................................................................................16 Manuscript History and Sources................................................................................................................17 Chapter 3: The Turks in Medieval Syriac Chronicles....................................................................................19 General Overview......................................................................................................................................19 The Turks in Michael’s Chronicle.............................................................................................................21 The Turks in the Anonymous Chronicle to 1234 .......................................................................................23 The Turks in the Chronicon Syriacum.......................................................................................................25 Chapter 4: Establishing the Biblical Credentials of the Turks (Book XIV, Chapter 1).................................28 The Place of Book XIV in Michael’s Chronicle........................................................................................28 The Turks in Genesis 10............................................................................................................................29 The Turks in Ezekiel 38-39 .......................................................................................................................32 Michael’s Interpretation of Ezekiel 38-39 .................................................................................................35 The Turks in the Book of Judith ................................................................................................................39 The Turks in Historical Sources ................................................................................................................40 Chapter 5: Establishing the Ethnography of the Turks (Book XIV, Chapter 2) ............................................43 The Homeland of the Turks and the Gates ................................................................................................43 Encounters with the Barbarians .................................................................................................................46 Culture, Technology, and Religion............................................................................................................50 Chapter 6: The Emigrations and Invasions of the Turks (Book XIV, Chapters 3-4).....................................54 Leaving the Homeland...............................................................................................................................54 Miraculous Guidance by the Grey Wolf....................................................................................................55 The Final Invasion of the Turks.................................................................................................................57 Divine Direction by a Turkic Totem..........................................................................................................60 Casting Lots for Territory..........................................................................................................................61 Praise for the Divine Will ..........................................................................................................................65 Chapter 7: The Conversion of the Turks to Islam (Book XIV, Chapter 5)....................................................67 Three Reasons for Converting ...................................................................................................................67 Casting Lots for a Leader ..........................................................................................................................70 The Providence of God..............................................................................................................................71 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................................73 Bibliography..................................................................................................................................................75 ii Abbreviations and Conventions The three chroniclers this thesis focusses on are referred to throughout as Michael, the Anonymous Chronicler1 and Bar ‘Ebroyo. Corporately, they are called ‘the three medieval Syriac chroniclers’ and their works are referred to as ‘the medieval Syriac chronicles.’ The following abbreviations are employed in the footnotes: 1. Michael = Chabot, Chronique de Michel le Syrien 2. Chron. 1234 =
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