Brian Croke

Tradition and Originality in Photius' Historical Reading

1. Approaching Byzantine Historiography Byzantine historiography remains an under-developed field. There is no dedicated and comprehensive modern study, certainly nothing to match the several substantial surveys of western medieval historiography. What we do have, however, is the two-volume compilation by Karpozilos 1 (a pioneering work in itselt) and an assortment of instructive articles by Jacob Ljubarskij, Riccardo Maisano, Athanasios Markopoulos, Ruth Macrides and others. 2 The task is by no means as difficult as it was twenty-five to thirty years ago. In the interim, there have appeared editions and/or English translations of a raft of crucial texts: Malalas, , Menander, Evagrius, Chronicon Paschale, Theophylact, Nicephorus, Synkellos, Theophanes, Genesios, Kinnamos, Eustathius and . Others are pending, notably Skylitzes, , Acropolites, Nikephoros Bryennios (the Younger) and Kedrenos, white several others have appeared in other languages: Pachymeres, Skylitzes and Nikephoros Bryennios in French, with Nikephoros Gregoras, Acropolites, Skylitzes (but incomplete) and Genesios in German. In addition, recent translations of several Armenian and Syriac histories and chronicles will also be important in improving understanding of the nature and role of historiography in the Byzantine world, particularly their connection with the writing of histories

1. A. Karpozilos, Bv(al'Tu,oi 'knoptKoi rni Xpovoypáot (2 vols Athens 1997- 2002). 2. J.N. Ljubarskij, 'Neue Tendenzen in der Erforschung der byzantinischen Historiographie' Klio 69 (1987) 560-6; J.N. Ljubarskij, 'Man in Byzantine Historiography from John Malalas to Michael Psellus' DOP 46 (1992) 177-86; J.N. Ljubarskij, "New Trends in the Study of Byzantine Historiography' DOP 47 ( 1993) 131-8; R. Maisano, ·11 problema della forma letteraria nei proemi storiografici bizantini' BZ 78 ( 1985) 329-43, cf. L.R. Cresci, 'TiotKLÀia nei proemi storiografici bizantini' Byz 74 (2004) 330-47; L.R. Cresci, "La cronaca di Malala nella tradizione storiografica bizantina' Alti del/'Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, Classe di Filosofia e Belle Arti 68 (Messina 1994) 23-40; L.R. Cresci, 'Il rinnovamento della tradizione storiografica bizantina nel XII secolo' Storia e tradizione cu/tura/e a Bisanzio fra XI e XII secolo ed. R. Maisano (Naples 1993) 119-34, plus numerous articles on the works ofNiketas Choniates, Kedrenos and Sphrantzes. Various studies by A. Markopoulos are collected in llistory and Literature of Byzantium in the 9th• /Oth centuries (Aldershot 2004) with important prefatory remarks (xi-xv), to which should be added "Byzantine History Writing at the End of the First Millennium' Byzantium in the Year /000 ed. P. Magdalino (Leiden 2003) 188-197; R. Macrides, 'The Historian in the History'

Byzantine Narrative. Papers in Honour of Roger Scott. Edited by J. Burke et al. (Melbourne 2006). 60 Brian Croke

and chronicles in Greek.J Attention also needs to be paid to the relationship of Byzantine records and histories to those ofSlavonic and Arabic cultures. Over that same period, there has also been a wider historiographical revolution which has hardly touched Byzantine history writing as yet. H istorians are now much more sensitized to the significance of history as text and as narrative. The so-called 'linguistic turn' in historiography has focused attention on questions of author, genre, audience and literary technique. 4 In addition, there are issues involving translation across cultures within the Byzantine Commonwealth and the relationship between oral and written traditions and sources. One of the first challenges confronting the author of a study of Byzantine historiography is how to deal with the several outmoded presuppositions that continue to pervade it. Chief among these is the strict and deep dichotomy between 'history' and 'chronicle' from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries, which was constructed by Krumbacher, then reinforced more recently by Hunger. The limitations of this rigid framework are now recognized with chronicles no longer relegated to an inferior historiographical status on the basis of style and content but evaluated in terms of their specific cultural and literary contexts and purposes.' The particular challenges involved in writing a history of Byzantine historiography include evaluating the influence of literary tradition and defining

3. Annenian: above all, the translations of Robert W. Thomson: Agathangelos: llistory of the Armenians (Albany 1976). Moses Khorenats 'i: History of the Armenians (Cambridge Ma<;s, 1978). Elishe: lfistory of l "ardan and the Armenian War (Cambridge Mass. 1982). The 1-/istoryof La::ar P 'arpec 'i (Atlanta 1991) and (with J. Howard-.lohnston) The Armenian History Allributed to Sebeos (Liverpool 1999); Syriac: W. Witakowski. Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, Chronicle Part lil (Liverpool 1996) and F.R. Trombley & J.W. Watt. The Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite (Liverpool 2000). A new and annotated translation of the Church 1/istory of Pseudo-Zachariah of Mytilene by Gcoffrey and Marina Grcatrcx is in preparation. 4. Not much progress seems to have been made. at least in historiography. in the two decades since the issues werc opcncd up by .John Haldon. "'Jargon" vs. "'the Facts"? Byzantinc History-Writing and Contcmporary Debates· BMGS 9 ( 1984/5) 95-132. Different possibilitics are suggested by works of western mcdievalists. such as C. Given-Wilson. Chronicles: The Writing of 1-/istory in Medieval Eng/and (London 2004) and G. Spiegel. The Past as Tex/: The Theory and Practice of Medieval Historiography (Baltimorc 1999). a<;wcll as some of the chaptcrs in N. Partner. cd" Writing Medieval 1-/istory (New York 2005). for cxamplc: R.M. Stein. 'Literary Criticism and the Evidencc for History· 67-87 and S. Fooi. 'Finding the Mcaning of Form: Narrative in Annals and Chronicles· 88-108. 5. K. Krumbacher, Geschichte der hy::antinischen Lilteratur (Munich 1896); H. Hungcr. Die hochsprachliche profane Literatur der Byzantiner, vol. 1 (Munich 1978); H.-G. Beek, ·zurbyzantinischcn "Mönchschronik"'' Speculum Historiale cd. C. Bauer. J. Spörl. L. Boehm et al. (Freiburg 1965) 188-97; C. Mango. 'The Tradition ofByzantine Chronography' HUkSt 22/3 (1988/9) 360-72; A. Afinogenov. 'Somc Obscrvations on Genres of Byzantinc History· By:: 62 (1992) 13-33. Intercstingly, in the diverse and comprehensive three volumes published to date of the international conferences on the medieval chronicle !here is nota single paper on a Byzantinc chronicle: E. Koopcr. cd" The Medieval Chronicle (3 vols Amsterdam 1999-2004 ),