Archives of the Byzantine Empire (original) (raw)
ARCHIVES AND READERS: PRESERVATION AND CIRCULATION OF DOCUMENTS IN BYZANTINE MONASTIC ARCHIVES
Present article deals with the problems of Byzantine monastic archives and its readers. Namely, trough regarding methods of keeping, storing techniques, ways of copying and persons responsible for the archives, I find out the possible readers inside of monasteries, and examine their attitude toward the content of the records. While through analyzing the situations when the monastic documents were used outside of the foundations (during tribunals, border‑delineations etc.), I discover which laic authorities and individuals had access to records, and what was their ways of reading these texts.
Byzantine Kos through the Archival Documents of the Patmos Monastery
published in Greek in: Χάρις Χαίρε, Μελέτες στη μνήμη της Χάρης Κάντζια, Αρχαιολογικό Ινστιτούτο Αιγαιακών Σπουδών, τόμ.Α, Αthens 2004, pp. 405-420, 2004
During Byzantine era, Kos was never found in the heart of historical events and therefore information is scarce. The archive of the monastery of St.John at Patmos is an exception, for it includes thirty published documents concerning the island. They are divided –based on their date- in three groups. The first concerns the time and deeds of the St.Christodoulos, founder of the Monastery in the 11th century (eleven documents). The second comprises sixteen documents covering the second half of the 13th century, while the last three ones are dated between 1329 and 1331. The information included in these documents is quite diverse and the present article is an effort to summarize and categorize it. The first set of data concerns the general history of the island, and its place in the Byzantine administration. The different administration systems of the middle (11th century) and late Byzantine periods (13-14th century) emerge, together with information on enemy raids or change of rule. A second category refers to the ecclesiastical status of Kos. A number of bishops are mentioned, otherwise unknown, while the issue of the promotion of the island to archbishopric in the first half of the 14th century is enlightened through the information of the archive. The third category concerns the island’s agricultural economy and place names. The picture that emerges is of an island divided in small properties with different cultivations (olive trees, wheat, vineyards), and with the inhabitants involved in countless quarrels over their boundaries. Thirty-three place names are mentioned, only a handful of which can be located today. The last category of information involves the society and population of the island. The whole structure is represented, from the great landowners of the 11th century to the small free farmers of the 13th century and the serfs. The people are located in enories (parish, mod.trans.), four of which are mentioned. In a document of 1288 eighty-three names are included, …inhabitants of the whole country, people of the cloth, soldiers and common folk. The data included in these documents is important because it comes from a trustworthy and direct historical source. However in order to interpret it, one must incorporate it in the wider historical framework and combine it with comparative data from other sources. A last remark is made on the issue of the capital city of the island, which is never mentioned in the archive of Patmos, thus arousing questions to its very existence.
lay_archives_in_the_late_antique_and_byzantine_east_the_implications_of_the_documentary_papyri.pdf
2018
A survey of documentary practices in the eastern Mediterranean raises many of the key themes that we will be following throughout the book. Among these are issues of definition, such as of archive, or lay and clerical, or public and private; issues of the institutional contexts for document production and preservation , such as the shifting nature of the late Roman state and its organs, the early institutional Church, or structures of property ownership; and issues of documentary culture, such as the phenomena of destruction and dossierization, the symbolic function of documents, and intentionally ephemeral documents.
2023
We discuss the nature of the Byzantine libraries by examining their degree of accessibility as witnessed by the loan lists of the monasteries of Saint John Prodromos in Patmos and Saint Nicholas in Casole, and by the typikon of Boilas' foundation near Edessa. We also draw on the place occupied by books in some monasteries in Egypt (Shenute's White Monastery in Suhag) and in Byzantine territory, to conclude that their accessibility was non-existent. In the second part of this paper, we review the history and public nature of the Imperial Library of Constantinople: in Late Antiquity it occupied a facility near the Basilike Stoa (centrally located in the city), but later on was replaced by a 'palace library' accessible only to members of the imperial family and to palace officers.
24th International Congress of Byzantine Studies - Venice - Abstract
The History of Photography at St. Catherine’s Library (Sinai) and Its Impact on Scholarship and Monastic Life, 2022
The goal of this paper is to systematically retrace the history of the expeditions which were devoted to the photography of manuscripts at the Monastery of St. Catherine (Sinai) from the 19th to the 20th centuries. This is possible thanks to the analysis of so far neglected archival material such as the private correspondence of the – sometimes unknown – organizers of photographic projects and interview with the various members of the Monastery. In addition to offer new material for the study of the evolution of manuscripts photography (from a technical point of view), this paper also contributes to look into the human side of the cholars’ and monks’ interactions and not just the final product of their expeditions.
The sack of Constantinople following the Crusader conquest of the city in 1204 was so ruthless that what Michael VIII Palaiologos recaptured in 1261 was a virtual wasteland,1 its religious and secular foundations, among them libraries, dissolved and stripped of their treasures, which had either been destroyed or shipped to the West. 1 Imperial Library One of the ��rst concerns of the Byzantines once Constantinople had been retaken was to rebuild the ruined institutions and monasteries and restore higher education, which meant re-establishing and restocking the libraries with old manuscripts and new copies of classical texts.2 These e�forts were
Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 2022
This study concerns an inventory of books, dated 1428/9, inscribed in Sofia, Dujčev gr. 253 (olim Kosinitsa 265), fol. 290r. Although the text was obscurely published in 1886, the vicissitudes of this codex over the following century impeded further research and the inventory continues to be overlooked in studies of Byzantine libraries, books and reading. A new edition, furnishing corrections and filling lacunae, together with a first translation and palaeographical analysis, provide a foundation for introducing this rare document and re-evaluating its context and significance. While the limited prior scholarship generally presumed compilation in a monastic library in 1428/9 and pursued inquiries based on that surmise, examination of Dujčev gr. 253 draws attention to annotations by a member of the Laskaris Leontares family, dated 1431-37, which place the codex in private possession during this period. A survey of 13 extant codices variously connected to this distinguished aristocratic dynasty, c.1400-1455, elucidates acquisition, ownership and use of books in this socio-cultural milieu, with particular reference to this family’s history and social networks. Comparative assessment of this sample of 13 codices and the 21 items recorded in the book-list of 1428/9 affirms the view that it relates to a private rather than an institutional library and distinguishes its potential value for investigating aristocratic book culture in the late Byzantine era.
The Byzantine opus sectile floor in the katholikon ofIveron monastery is one ofthe best preserved and most remarkable opus sectile floors in Athos, made as a pietre dure like most Athonitefloors. Was constructed around the mid-I I th century, probably by craftsmen from the Constantinople, as part ofthe "renovations" commissioned by George the Athonite during his highly creative office as abbot ofthe monastery (1045)(1046)(1047)(1048)(1049)(1050)(1051)(1052)(1053)(1054)(1055)(1056).
The Growth of the Manuscript Library at Philotheou Monastery in the Byzantine Period
Acts. XVIIIth International Congress of Byzantine Studies. Selected Papers: Moscow, 1991. Vol. IV: Literature, Sources, Numismatics and History of Science, 1996
This paper demonstrates how study of a monastery's manuscript library enables us to flesh out the skeletal history provided by archival documents. A preview of the Introduction to the forthcoming Catalog of the Greek Manuscripts of Philotheou Monastery, it summarizes both the "external" or chronological history of the monastery and its "internal" or spiritual and intellectual history as derived from manuscript evidence, with emphasis on methodology. Philotheou began as a small hesychasterion in the last decade of the tenth century, and continued as such for some sixty years. Silence of the documents from 1051 to 1141 suggests that the monastery was vacant during this time. Documentary attestation of the abbot, Arsenios, in 1141 corroborates the identification of an Arsenios as one of the founders of Philotheou in the lost wall painting of the old catholicon described in the proskynetarion John Comnenos. From the documents the question of a second period of abandonment (from 1169 until 1284) remains ambiguous. Here the manuscripts of Philotheou come to our rescue. Moscow, State Historical Museum, Synodal Library cod. 50 includes a dated note of dedication from the year, 1203. Since the codex was at Philotheou until Arsenios Suchanov took it in 1654, we conclude that the monastery was neither ruined nor vacated during this time. That is one of the most important items of information regarding external Philotheite history derived from the manuscripts. It also informs us that the collection of manuscripts at Philotheou has existed continuously since the mid-12th century refoundation of the monastery, when books must have been part of the needs supplied for its functioning by St. Savas. Codicological study of the 14th-century codices produced at Philotheou, only two of which are signed, enable us to identify a group of manuscripts written there at that time. The Philotheite scribes, Gerasimos and Ignatios, created a new kind of hagiographical collection in which encomia for the menological and movable liturgical calendars were integrated. The recension of this "Integrated Panegyrikon," inspired by Gregory Palamas' collection of patristic evidence in defense of Athonite hesychasm, provided Philotheite monks with hesychastic models for emulation, replacing the Metaphrast. It provides us with a window into the spiritual world of Mount Athos during this important period. In the mid-16th century, following the restoration of the monastery under Dionysios ὁ ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ, numerous hieromonks wrote liturgical books at Philotheou, under the tutelage of two monks from Kallioupolis, Maximos and Gabriel, and under the direction of the abbot, Kallinikos. From a codex that came to Philotheou with him we learn that Kallinikos had come from Dionysiou, bringing with him the calligraphic ideals of the school of copyists from the Athonite monasteries on the southwest coast. The number of these hieromonks, and the small number of books surviving from each one, suggest that their tenure at Philotheou was brief, and that they were being prepared for an anti-Islamization mission on the Greek mainland. The acquisition of manuscripts also contributed to the growth of the library and thus to our understanding of Philotheite history. Acquisition of books apparently accompanied restorations of the monastery under the ktitores, Arsenios and Dionysios ὁ ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ, to meet the monastery's own liturgical needs. A more or less standard curse formula is the mark of accession of Philotheite books from the sixteenth century on, while notes of donation and personal possession colophons of individual monks distinguish those books from purchases in the earlier centuries. In the 16th century acquisitions on a large scale as well as "ransom" of books from the infidel attest to the monastery's wider purpose of preserving Orthodoxy and supporting its anti-Islamization mission. The sixteenth century copyists also preserved and restored older copies of the orthodox liturgical books. The centralization of these older books into a formal library may date from this time, when a systematic survey of the condition of books at Philotheou was conducted by the Philotheite monk, Moyses. An exceptional collection of menaia at Philotheou enables comparison of the sixteenth century copies with prototypes from the older manuscripts in the collection, some of which apparently date from the 12th century revival of the monastery.
Studia Ceranea
The paper investigates the establishment of the office of the epi ton kriseon during the Reign of emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042–1055), analysing the reasons behind its creation and its initial character. In addition, a list of all holders of this office is provided, based on all available sources – sphragistic, epistolary, rhetorical, documentary, etc. The list is divided into two parts – before and after the sack of the Byzantine capital by the Crusaders in 1204. Certain conclusions are reached at the end of the paper based on the data from the first part of the list. Different aspects of the problem are examined, including the honorific titles of the epi ton kriseon, their other offices, activities and social bonds. Individuals who held this position include prominent figures such as Konstantinos, nephew of patriarch Michael I Keroularios (1043–1058) and the addressee of many letters from Michael Psellos, as well as the 12th–13th century historian Niketas Choniates. In t...
Dear colleagues, We are delighted to share with you our initiative for an International Conference devoted to aspects of Byzantine and Post byzantine Inscriptions of Mount Athos, to be held virtually via Zoom in 16-18 February 2024. As an eminent center of cenobitic monasticism since the tenth century, Athos benefited from the patronage of Byzantine emperors and aristocrats who financed buildings and precious objects. Inscriptions provide evidence for this rich activity which continued in the following centuries. The study of the Byzantine and Post byzantine inscriptions in Mount Athos has long been neglected and thus, the present Conference aims to provide a fresh impetus on the field. Our scholarly meeting would like to offer an interdisciplinary forum for a selection of papers that touch upon some of the following aspects: Byzantine inscriptions in monuments Byzantine dedicatory inscriptions Byzantine funerary inscriptions Byzantine inscriptions in sculptures Byzantine inscriptions in minor arts Inscriptions in lead seals Byzantine inscriptions in woodworks Byzantine inscriptions in frescoes Byzantine inscriptions in icons Latin inscriptions Georgian inscriptions Old Slavonic inscriptions Arabic inscriptions Ottoman inscriptions Pseudo-inscriptions Heraldry and inscriptions Graffiti Monograms Postbyzantine inscriptions in monuments Postbyzantine dedicatory inscriptions Posbyzantine funerary inscriptions Postbyzantine inscriptions in sculptures Postbyzantine inscriptions in minor arts Postbyzantine inscriptions in woodworks Postbyzantine inscriptions in frescoes Postbyzantine inscriptions in icons Donors and their ideology as reflected in inscriptions Innovation of patronage through inscriptions Critical editions of inscriptions Detailed interdisciplinary analysis of inscriptions Visual qualities of inscriptions Databases of inscriptions The Proceedings of the Conference will be published. ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Paschalis ANDROUDIS, Assistant Professor of Byzantine Art and Archaeology, School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (pandroudis@hist.auth.gr) Dimitris LIAKOS, Dr. Archaeologist, Ephorate for the Antiquities of Halkidiki and Mount Athos (liakos712003@yahoo.gr)
Deux inscriptions byzantines de Macédoine et de Thrace découvertes par F. Uspenskij en 1898 et 1912
Vinogradov A., Feissel D. Deux inscriptions byzantines de Macédoine et de Thrace découvertes par F. Uspenskij en 1898 et 1912 // Traveaux et memoires. 2023. Vol. 27. P. 541-552., 2023
Two previously unpublished Greek inscriptions from the 6th century have been found in the collection of squeezes of the former Russian Archaeological Institute at Constantinople, kept in Saint Petersburg. 1) The epitaph of Laurentios had been discovered in 1898 in Bitola, ancient Heraclea Lyncestis. Described as an “orthodox father” and “crowned by the seats of priests,” Laurentios, who died in 536, was probably bishop of Heraclea. This is probably also the case with Epiphanios, whose epitaph is republished here because some of its formulas are also present in that of Laurentios. 2) The epitaph of the priest Adolios, discovered in 1912 at Didymoteichon, ancient Plotinopolis, is dated to the consulate of Belisarius in 535.
ABSTRACT: The manuscript Istanbul, TSMK, G.İ. 36 (formerly codex Constantinopolitanus / Seragliensis graecus 36) is a crucial and often unique witness to the text of the Taktika of Nikephoros Ouranos, a vast compendium of military science compiled c.1000, which remains largely unedited. Produced in the early 1430s, G.İ. 36 also provides the latest evidence for Byzantine book production in this field of knowledge and is a rare specimen of a pre-1453 Greek codex preserved in the Ottoman sultanic library. Although re-discovered in the Topkapı Palace in 1887, difficulties of access long hindered scholarly inquiry and today it is the least studied manuscript of Byzantine military literature. This paper offers the first comprehensive study of G.İ. 36, an integrated codicological and philological investigation, which surveys and revises prior scholarship, provides a detailed description of the codex, and assesses its textual affinities and editorial significance for a complete critical edition of Ouranos’ Taktika.
Mount Athos and the Wealth of Constantinople (14th–16th Centuries)
Medieval Mount Athos between Wealth and Poverty, 2024
Athonite monks had access to landed property in Constantinople throughout the Palaiologan period. The great monasteries of the Lavra and Vatopedi held organized dependencies (metochia) in the Byzantine capital and in the wider Bosporus area, thanks to which they were able to manage their activities within the framework of the entangled economic networks of the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. The Serbian monastery of Hilandar was also heavily involved in Constantinopolitan affairs through its connections with the so-called Xenon (hospital) of the Kral, which was attached to the monastery of Saint John of Petra in the capital. The Athonite presence in Constantinople continued even into the sixteenth century, when the newly-founded monastery of Stavroniketa acquired property in early Ottoman Istanbul as a result of donations. The proposed paper will examine archival evidence and the topography/geography of the Athonite metochia of Constantinople, in order to explore how Athonite communities controlled their Constantinopolitan estates and how they adapted to the changing circumstances of the time.
47TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE BYZANTINE STUDIES ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA
2021
[TITLE] St. Catherine’s Library (Sinai) Through a Photographic Lens: Between Scholarship and Monasticism [ABSTRACT] Saint Catherine’s Monastery of the Sinai is a refuge for cultural heritage treasures, with an uninterrupted history of more than 1500 years. Today we know of the existence of 4500 manuscripts in the monastery library. This knowledge was not widely available to the public one hundred years ago. The hard work of scholars and monks establishing a relationship of collaboration made possible the promotion and advancement of scholarship through the study of this ancient library. The remote location of the monastery contributed to the survival of the manuscripts, but it also posed difficulties for scholars wanting to reach and study the physical objects. By the end of the 19 th century a new technology was used to assist the scholarly effort: still image capturing by photographic means. The photography and reproduction off-site of manuscript images allowed the better and broader study of many objects, without the limitation of time or difficulties of long travel. In the 20 th century this technology advanced even more; expeditions were now made specifically to the Sinai desert for the reproduction of manuscripts in St. Catherine’s library. This paper deals with the history of photographic expeditions at St. Catherine’s that focused specifically on manuscript photography, the unknown contributors who made access to the library possible, and the effects these interactions had on the local monastic community from the 19th to the 21st century. It is the first time that an attempt has been made to document the photographic record at St. Catherine’s library by collecting information not only from well known publications, but also from the private correspondence of the organizers of photographic projects and the monastery’s leadership. This approach enables us to look into the human side of the scholars’ and monks’ interactions and not just the final product of their expeditions.