Guide to Byzantine Historical Writing Leonora Neville Frontmatter More Information I
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A Synopsis of Byzantine History, –
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-40474-8 - John Skylitzes: A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811–1057 John Wortley Frontmatter More information JOHN SKYLITZES: A synopsis of Byzantine history, – John Skylitzes’ extraordinary Middle Byzantine chronicle covers the reigns of the Byzantine emperors from the death of Nicephorus I in to the deposition of Michael VI in , and provides the only surviving continuous narrative of the late tenth and early eleventh centuries. A high offi cial living in the late eleventh century, Skylitzes used a number of existing Greek histories (some of them no longer extant) to create a digest of the previous three centuries. It is with- out question the major historical source for the period, cited con- stantly in modern scholarship, and has never before been available in English. Th is edition features introductions by Jean-Claude Cheynet and Bernard Flusin, along with extensive notes by Cheynet. It will be an essential and exciting addition to the libraries of all historians of the Byzantine age. is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He has published widely on the Byzantine era, and completed several translations to date, including Les Récits édifi - ants de Paul, évêque de Monembasie, et d’autres auteurs (), Th e ‘Spiritual Meadow’ of John Moschos, including the additional tales edited by Nissen and Mioni (), Th e spiritually benefi cial tales of Paul, Bishop of Monembasia and of other authors () and John Skylitzes: A Synopsis of Histories (AD –) , a provisional transla- tion published -
Michael Panaretos in Context
DOI 10.1515/bz-2019-0007 BZ 2019; 112(3): 899–934 Scott Kennedy Michael Panaretos in context A historiographical study of the chronicle On the emperors of Trebizond Abstract: It has often been said it would be impossible to write the history of the empire of Trebizond (1204–1461) without the terse and often frustratingly la- conic chronicle of the Grand Komnenoi by the protonotarios of Alexios III (1349–1390), Michael Panaretos. While recent scholarship has infinitely en- hanced our knowledge of the world in which Panaretos lived, it has been approx- imately seventy years since a scholar dedicated a historiographical study to the text. This study examines the world that Panaretos wanted posterity to see, ex- amining how his post as imperial secretary and his use of sources shaped his representation of reality, whether that reality was Trebizond’s experience of for- eigners, the reign of Alexios III, or a narrative that showed the superiority of Tre- bizond on the international stage. Finally by scrutinizing Panaretos in this way, this paper also illuminates how modern historians of Trebizond have been led astray by the chronicler, unaware of Panaretos selected material for inclusion for the narratives of his chronicle. Adresse: Dr. Scott Kennedy, Bilkent University, Main Camous, G Building, 24/g, 06800 Bilkent–Ankara, Turkey; [email protected] Established just before the fall of Constantinople in 1204, the empire of Trebi- zond (1204–1461) emerged as a successor state to the Byzantine empire, ulti- mately outlasting its other Byzantine rivals until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1461. -
Aspects of St Anna's Cult in Byzantium
ASPECTS OF ST ANNA’S CULT IN BYZANTIUM by EIRINI PANOU A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham January 2011 Acknowledgments It is said that a PhD is a lonely work. However, this thesis, like any other one, would not have become reality without the contribution of a number of individuals and institutions. First of all of my academical mother, Leslie Brubaker, whose constant support, guidance and encouragement accompanied me through all the years of research. Of the National Scholarship Foundation of Greece ( I.K.Y.) with its financial help for the greatest part of my postgraduate studies. Of my father George, my mother Angeliki and my bother Nick for their psychological and financial support, and of my friends in Greece (Lily Athanatou, Maria Sourlatzi, Kanela Oikonomaki, Maria Lemoni) for being by my side in all my years of absence. Special thanks should also be addressed to Mary Cunningham for her comments on an early draft of this thesis and for providing me with unpublished material of her work. I would like also to express my gratitude to Marka Tomic Djuric who allowed me to use unpublished photographic material from her doctoral thesis. Special thanks should also be addressed to Kanela Oikonomaki whose expertise in Medieval Greek smoothened the translation of a number of texts, my brother Nick Panou for polishing my English, and to my colleagues (Polyvios Konis, Frouke Schrijver and Vera Andriopoulou) and my friends in Birmingham (especially Jane Myhre Trejo and Ola Pawlik) for the wonderful time we have had all these years. -
Suicide in Byzantium
EÏÏËÓÈο 57.1 (2007) SUICIDE IN BYZANTIUM The evidence of the sources on suicide from the 4th to the 15th century in Byzantium is rather limited and the scarcity of information explains why the subject has not been investigated, save for the motif of taking one’s own life in the Greek Novel from Antiquity to the Comnenian period.1 In the Judaic and Christian traditions suicide was condemned as an act of impiety towards God who created man. The issue had been debated to some extent among the Greek thinkers because self-inflicted death was not regarded as «in accordance with nature». The Stoics supported some kinds of suicide (when the body becomes a burden to the soul, for instance), and the Platonic passage in Phaedo caused some ambiguity as to its final message with regard to Socrates’ death, his closing words in particular that man is ethically bound to preserve his life. The Romans also were thought by and large to accept suicide. During the Christian persecutions some of the martyrs – devote women and virgins – chose self-destruction to escape rape, defilement and humiliation. Such incidents were known to Eusebius of Caesarea for he mentions women martyrs leaping from high places to their death, or drowning in a river or in the sea. In the face of dishonour and violation by pagans, self-destruction was preferred and was even praised. Ioannes Chryso- stomos dedicated a homily to the three martyrs Bernike, Prosdoke, and Domnine, who chose to drown themselves in a river in the city of Hierapolis rather than to be humiliated (PG 50, 629-640). -
Byzantium and Bulgaria, 775-831
Byzantium and Bulgaria, 775–831 East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450 General Editor Florin Curta VOLUME 16 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/ecee Byzantium and Bulgaria, 775–831 By Panos Sophoulis LEIDEN • BOSTON 2012 Cover illustration: Scylitzes Matritensis fol. 11r. With kind permission of the Bulgarian Historical Heritage Foundation, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Brill has made all reasonable efforts to trace all rights holders to any copyrighted material used in this work. In cases where these efforts have not been successful the publisher welcomes communications from copyright holders, so that the appropriate acknowledgements can be made in future editions, and to settle other permission matters. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sophoulis, Pananos, 1974– Byzantium and Bulgaria, 775–831 / by Panos Sophoulis. p. cm. — (East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450, ISSN 1872-8103 ; v. 16.) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-20695-3 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Byzantine Empire—Relations—Bulgaria. 2. Bulgaria—Relations—Byzantine Empire. 3. Byzantine Empire—Foreign relations—527–1081. 4. Bulgaria—History—To 1393. I. Title. DF547.B9S67 2011 327.495049909’021—dc23 2011029157 ISSN 1872-8103 ISBN 978 90 04 20695 3 Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. -
The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and St Sophia of Constantinople: an Attempt at Discovering a Hagiographic Expression of the Byzantine Encaenia Feast
Other Patristic Studies Downloaded from Brill.com10/02/2021 10:24:12PM via free access . Downloaded from Brill.com10/02/2021 10:24:12PM via free access Ekaterina Kovalchuk Leuven, Belgium [email protected] THE HOLY SEPULCHRE OF JERUSALEM AND ST SOPHIA OF CONSTANTINOPLE: AN ATTEMPT AT DISCOVERING A HAGIOGRAPHIC EXPRESSION OF THE BYZANTINE ENCAENIA FEAST Constantine the Great and the Foundation of the Holy Sepulchre For a student of Late Antiquity and Byzantine civilization, Con- stantine the Great is known, fi rst and foremost, as the ruler who intro- duced Christianity as an offi cial religion of the Roman Empire. Apart from that, his name is fi rmly associated with the foundation of the eponymous city of Constantinople, which was to become a centre of the Eastern Christian civilization. A closer look at the contemporary sources, however, suggests that the fi rst Christian Emperor did not give the newly-founded city of Constantinople priority in his policies and building projects. During his reign, Constantine the Great dis- played extraordinary interest in Jerusalem, leaving Constantinople rather overshadowed. One may puzzle why Eusebius, who is the main contemporary source for the reign of Constantine the Great, gave but cursory treatment to the foundation and dedication of Constantinople while dwelling upon the subject of Palestinian church-building — and especially the foundation and dedication of the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem1 — so exten- (1) The Holy Sepulchre is a later name for the complex erected by Con- stantine at the allegedly historical places of Golgotha and the tomb where Christ was buried. -
Vratislav Zervan Die Lehnwörter Im Wortschatz Der Spätbyzantinischen Historiographischen Literatur Byzantinisches Archiv
Vratislav Zervan Die Lehnwörter im Wortschatz der spätbyzantinischen historiographischen Literatur Byzantinisches Archiv Begründet von Karl Krumbacher Als Ergänzung zur Byzantinischen Zeitschrift herausgegeben von Albrecht Berger Band 34 Vratislav Zervan Die Lehnwörter im Wortschatz der spätbyzantinischen historiographischen Literatur unter Mitarbeit von Johannes Kramer, Claudia Römer, Michael Metzeltin, Bojana Pavlović und Andrea Massimo Cuomo Veröffentlicht mit der Unterstützung des Austrian Science Fund (FWF): PUB 517-Z25 ISBN 978-3-11-058538-4 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-058767-8 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-058545-2 Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Lizenz. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Library of Congress Control Number: 2018952435 Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.dnb.de abrufbar. © 2019 Vratislav Zervan, publiziert von Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Satz: Meta Systems Publishing & Printservices GmbH, Wustermark Druck und Bindung: CPI books GmbH, Leck www.degruyter.com Vorwort Die vorliegende Studie ist das Resultat der FWF-Projekte P 23912-G19 „Imitation/ Innovation im Wortschatz der spätbyzantinischen historiographischen Literatur“ (Hauptmitarbeiter: Andrea Cuomo) und P 24289 „Die Kirchengeschichte des Nike- phoros Xanthopulos: Chrysostomos bis Phokas“ -
Theophanes Conference
INSTITUT D’ÉTUDES BYZANTINES, COLLÈGE DE FRANCE • UMR 8167 ORIENT ET MÉDITERRANÉE • UNIVERSITÉ DE PARIS – SORBONNE LA CHRONIQUE DE THÉOPHANE : SOURCES, COMPOSITION, TRANSMISSION UN WORKSHOP INTERNATIONAL INSTITUT D’ÉTUDES PARIS, 14-15 SEPTEMBRE 2012 BYZANTINES Abstracts 1) Theophanes and George Syncellus Warren Treadgold (St. Louis), “A Conjectural Biography of George Syncellus” The paper will attempt to reconstruct the biography of George Syncellus from the scanty avai- lable evidence, reaching the following conjectural conclusions. George seems to have been born around 745 into a Christian family in Syria, possibly at Emesa. While his native language would have been Syriac, he must have received a good secondary education in Greek. After travels in Palestine, George became a monk at the Monastery of St. Chariton. He made frequent excursions from that monastery to Jerusalem, possibly on business with the Jerusalem patriarchate at a time when Christians were suffering from Muslim persecution. Soon after the new iconophile regime took power in Byzantium in 780, George seems to have had the idea of translating the recent Syriac chronicle of Theophilus of Edessa into Greek and continuing it up to 780. Apparently George planned to take his work to Constantinople in the hope of interesting Irene and her advisers in the plight of the orthodox Christians of Syria. George evidently made the trip during a truce between the empire and the Caliphate between 782 and 785. In Constantinople George’s knowledge of history and devotion to icons appear to have won him the favor of Tarasius, who became patriarch in 784. By the time of the Council of Nicaea in 787, George was probably a deacon and notary of the patriarchate and participated in the council in that capacity. -
Foreword a SYNOPSIS of HISTORIES BEGINNING with THE
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-40474-8 - John Skylitzes: A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811–1057 John Wortley Excerpt More information A SYNOPSIS OF HISTORIES BEGINNING WITH THE DEATH OF THE EMPEROR NIKEPHOROS, THE EX-MINISTER OF FINANCE AND EXTENDING TO THE REIGN OF ISAAC KOMNENOS, COMPOSED BY JOHN SKYLITZES , THE KOUROPALATES WHO SERVED AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE WATCH Foreword After the ancient writers, the best compendium of history was written, fi rst by George the monk, synkellos to the most holy patriarch Tarasios, then by Th eophanes the confessor, hegoumenos of the monastery of Agros. Th ese men carefully read through the history books, making a précis of them in simple, unaff ected language, touching exclusively on the substance of the events which had taken place. George began with the creation of the world and continued to [the time of] the tyrants, Maximian and Maximinos, his son. Th eophanes took the other’s conclu- sion as his starting point and brought his work to an end with the death of the emperor Nikephoros, the ex-minister of fi nance. After [Th eophanes] nobody continued their eff ort. Th ere were those who attempted to do so, such as the Sicilian schoolmaster and, in our own time, the supremely hon- ourable consul of the philosophers, [Michael] Psellos. Th ere were others too but, because they took their task too lightly, they all failed to write George the monk died after ; he composed a chronicle from creation to , English trans- lation by W. Adler, Th e chronography of George Synkellos. -
1St ONLINE EDINBURGH BYZANTINE BOOK FESTIVAL
1st ONLINE EDINBURGH BYZANTINE BOOK FESTIVAL 5-7 February 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the various publishers for agreeing to list their books and providing special discounts to the attendees of the 1st Online Edinburgh Byzantine Book Festival. Petros Bouras-Vallianatos Edinburgh 11 January 2021 BOOKLET LISTING PUBLISHERS’ CATALOGUES ALEXANDROS PRESS ALEXANDROS PRESS Dobbedreef 25, NL-2331 SW Leiden, The Netherlands Tel. + 31 71 576 11 18 No fax: + 31 71 572 75 17 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.alexandrospress.com VAT number NL209186367B02 Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration number: 28088681 ING Bank, Amsterdam, Acc. no. 5219443 BIC: INGBNL2A IBAN: NL89INGB0005219443 Please, find below the books of Alexandros Press, all of them with a discount of approximately 65-75%. The price of the books is € 60-90 for individuals, instead of € 250, plus postage and handling and, for EU counties, 9% VAT. This price is valid only if directly ordered from Alexandros Press, not through (and for) booksellers. Please, send a copy to the Library with 50% discount € 125 instead of 250, if directly ordered from Alexandros Press. See also the Antiquarian books at the end of this message, including Spatharakis’ Portrait, in the case you or you library may need them, but without discount. You can order by sending an e-mail to [email protected] You can pay with American Express card, PayPal mentioning [email protected] or (by preference) to the above written ING Bank, Amsterdam. About the quality of the books: “Soulignons pour finir la qualité de l’édition et la richesse de l’illustration, avec ses nombreuses images en couleur dont les éditions Alexandros Press se sont fait une spécialité et dont on ne dira jamais assez l’importance pour les historiens d’art.” Catherine Jolivet- Lévy, Revue des Etudes Byzantines, 66 (2008), 304-307. -
Migrations in the Archaeology of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in the Early Middle Ages (Some Comments on the Current State of Research)
Chapter 4 Migrations in the Archaeology of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in the Early Middle Ages (Some Comments on the Current State of Research) Florin Curta Historians of the modern era have recently turned Eastern Europe into a vagi- na nationum: the greatest mass migration and even the “making of the free world” are directly related to Eastern Europe.1 Historians studying Late Antiq- uity and the early Middle Ages disagree. They doubt that migration could ex- plain even changes taking place in the region. Walter Goffart sees no reason for Germanic tribes residing in the vastness of Ukraine to emigrate: “if really land hungry, they might have satisfied their needs right where they were”.2 Accord- ing to Guy Halsall, the archaeological record pertaining to East Central Europe in the 3rd century does “not support the idea of a substantial migration”.3 In- stead, one can envision communication lines along the principal trade routes.4 The idea that the Goths migrated out of northern Europe to the fringes of the Empire rests “mainly on the evidence of a single ancient source, the Getica of Jordanes, around which complicated structures of scholarly hypothesis have been built”.5 One could argue in principle that the Sântana de Mureş- Černjachov culture came into being “because of a migration out of the Wiel- bark regions, but one might equally argue that it was an indigenous develop- ment of local Pontic, Carpic, and Dacian cultures”.6 Peter Heather, however, is skeptical about skepticism. To him, there can be no doubt that the Wielbark people morphed into the Sântana de Mureş- Černjachov people, who became Goths in the course of a century-long migra- tion across Eastern Europe, from the Baltic to the Black Sea.7 Similarly, the 1 Zahra, Great Departure. -
Niketas Choniates
GUIDE TO BYZANTINE HISTORICAL WRITING This handy reference guide makes it easier to access and understand histories written in Greek between 600 and 1480 CE. Covering classi• cizing histories that continued ancient Greek traditions of historiog• raphy, sweeping, fast-paced "chronicle"-type histories, and dozens of idiosyncratic historical texts, it distills the results of complex, multilin• gual, specialist scholarship into clear explanations of the basic infor• mation needed to approach each medieval Greek history. It provides a sound basis for further research on each text by describing what we know about the time of composition, content covered by the history, authorship, extant manuscripts, previous editions and translations, and basic bibliography. Even-handed explanations of scholarly debates give readers the information they need to assess controversies independently. A comprehensive introduction orients students and nonspecialists to the traditions and methods of Byzantine historical writing. It will prove an invaluable timesaver for Byzantinists and an essential gateway for classicists, western medievalists, and students. LEONORA NEVILLE is a historian of Byzantine culture and society. Her work on Byzantine historical writing has dealt with how Byzantine authors interacted with classical models of history writing and culture and tried to shape contemporary opinion by writing history. She is the author of Anna Komnene: The Life and Work of a Medieval Historian (2016), Heroes and Romans in Twelfih- Century Byzantium: The Material for History of Nikephoros Bryennios (Cambridge University Press, 2012), and Authority in Byzantine Provincial Society: p$o—lloo (Cambridge University Press, 2004). She is Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and the John W. and Jeanne M.