Byzantium Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Taft R. F. The Great Entrance. A History of the Transfer of Gifts and other Preanaphoral Rites of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. [A History of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, vol. II]. Roma, 1975. (Orientalia Christiana Analecta;... more

In The Proceedings of the 2nd Scientific Symposium on Neo-Hellenic Ecclesiastic Art, 26-28 November 2010, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dept. of Theology, School of Theological Studies/ Byzantine and Christian Museum... more

- by Efrosyni Roupa, Ph.D., M.A.
- •
- Fashion History, Byzantium, Arts and Crafts

Trachoma is an ancient disease that has survived until the present day and represents the most common cause of infectious blindness globally. This study reviews the main Greek medical sources of the period from the 1st to 7th century AD and presents the medical knowledge relating to trachoma, including its definition, clinical features, diagnosis, complications, and treatment. It was widely accepted that trachoma was a disease of the palpebral conjunctiva, and the different stages of trachoma were described in detail. However, it is unclear whether the stages of trichiasis and pannus were identified as trachoma complications. The extensive references to the treatment of trachoma during the Byzantine period provide a strong argument for the case that trachoma was one of the most serious and common eye diseases. Both surgical and pharmaceutical treatments were often applied at the same time. Occasionally, surgical treatment could be rather dramatic, involving the use of stiff fig leav...

- by Constantinos Trompoukis
- •
- Ancient History, Medieval History, Byzantium, Humans

In late 1180, after the death of Emperor Manuel Komnenos, Prince Bohemond III of Antioch put aside his imperial bride, Theodora Komnena, to marry an Antiochene woman named Sybil. What followed was an internal uprising against the ruler encompassing the entire breadth of the principality’s church and most of its aristocracy, led by Aimery of Limoges, patriarch of Antioch, and Renaud II Masoir, lord of Margat. This fracture likely endured until early 1182 and had far reaching implications, but has received only piecemeal historical attention. Nevertheless, the rebellion of 1180–1182 reveals a great deal about the political climate of the Latin frontier in twelfth-century Northern Syria, demonstrating the dynamic realities of power in the principality of Antioch.

- by Andrew Buck
- •
- Medieval History, Byzantium, Crusades and the Latin East, The Principality of Antioch

The integration of high-resolution archaeological, textual, and environmental data with longer-term, low-resolution data affords greater precision in identifying some of the causal relationships underlying societal change. Regional and microregional case studies about the Byzantine world—in particular, Anatolia, which for several centuries was the heart of that world—reveal many of the difficulties that researchers face when attempting to assess the influence of environmental factors on human society. The Anatolian case challenges a number of assumptions about the impact of climatic factors on socio-political organization and medium-term historical evolution, highlighting the importance of further collaboration between historians, archaeologists, and climate scientists.

- by Dominik Fleitmann and +6
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- Anatolian Studies, Environmental History, Anatolian Archaeology, Byzantine Studies
- by Thomas Lecaque and +1
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- Greek History, Late Antique and Byzantine History, Medieval Literature, Medieval History

The main function of religious art is to embody the abstract idea of God in a form that allows its easiest perception. A central problem of any religious system is God’s presence and its adequate description. Theophanic events are never single-layered and this is a challenge for both the spiritual writer and the spiritual artist.
One of the most enduring trends in religious beliefs in all ages and cultures is the designation of the diversity of manifestations of the divine power, presence and action with unifying notions. Probably the most sustainable and universal in this respect is the concept of the “glory” of gods, through which their divinity is expressed most emphatically, most sensually, and at the same time most unattainably for mankind. This concept is expressed through the term “the glory of God”, which is used in the theological language of all organized religious systems to denote the manifestations of the sacred.
The radiance, which symbolizes the divine grace, power and superiority over all the senses is a common and invariable part of the outward expression of the supernatural character of the events connected with the manifestations and actions of God’s glory. Therefore, one of the key problems facing the visual language of any religion is to find a concise, clear, easily doable and easily understandable form in which to express the theophanic radiance. Thus, two of the most ancient sacred symbols in human history – the nimbus and the aureole (mandorla) were born.
In Christian art, the mandorla has been used to depict the manifestations of God’s presence and actions. The human consciousness perceives the verbal descriptions of theophanic events differently and is not able to create a general convention for their uniform understanding, so the iconographic canon uses certain symbols capable of presenting the necessary universal ideas. The mandorla is an oval, oval-pointed or round outline, which in certain iconographic subjects encompasses the figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Trinity and the Theotokos or in rare cases those of some saints. It serves as a visual epitome of the phenomenon of God’s glory.

- by Rostislava Todorova
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- Byzantine Studies, Byzantine Iconography, Hesychasm, Byzantium

Conflict, Bargaining, and Kinship Networks in Medieval Eastern Europe takes the familiar view of Eastern Europe, families, and conflicts and stands it on its head. Instead of a world rife with civil war and killing, this book presents a relatively structured environment where conflict is engaged in for the purposes of advancing one’s position, and where death among the royal families is relatively rare. At the heart of this analysis is the use of situational kinship networks—relationships created by elites for the purposes of engaging in conflict with their own kin, but only for the duration of a particular conflict. A new image of medieval Eastern Europe, less consumed by civil war and mass death, will change the perception of medieval Eastern Europe in the minds of readers. This new perception is essential to not only present the past more accurately, but also to allow for medieval Eastern Europe’s integration into the larger medieval world as something other than an aberrant other.

- by Christian Raffensperger
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- Medieval History, Byzantium, Central and Eastern Europe, Medieval Russia

CATALOGUE OF THE EXHIBITION "THE LIFE AFTER DEATH" IN THE FRAME OF THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF EUROPE PAFOS2017 AND AARHUS2017. A CULTURAL APPROACH TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE DEAD'S MEMORY THROUGH ART AND BURIAL CUSTOMS IN CYPRUS AND DENMARK FROM ANTIQUITY TILL NOWADAYS/ ΚΑΤΑΛΟΓΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΘΕΣΗΣ "Η ΖΩΗ ΜΕΤΑ ΘΑΝΑΤΟΝ" ΣΤΑ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΠΡΩΤΕΥΟΥΣΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΡΩΠΗΣ ΠΑΦΟΣ2017 ΚΑΙ ΩΡΧΟΥΣ2017. ΜΙΑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΙΚΗ ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΣΗ ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΤΗΡΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΜΝΗΣΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΤΕΘΝΕΩΤΩΝ ΜΕΣΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΤΕΧΝΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΙΣ ΤΑΦΙΚΕΣ ΠΑΡΑΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΚΥΠΡΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΗ ΔΑΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΤΗΤΑ ΕΩΣ ΤΙΣ ΗΜΕΡΕΣ ΜΑΣ

A critical reflection on Marcus Plested´s Orthodox Readings of Aquinas

- by Antoine Levy
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- Byzantium, Ecumenism, St Thomas Aquinas, St Gregory Palamas

In: Проблемы истории и археологии Украины: Тезисы докладов ХІІ Международной научной конференции, посвященной 215-летию Харьковского национального университета имени В. Н. Каразина (Харьков, ноябрь 2020). Харьков: ООО «НТМТ», 2020. С.... more

The paper presents an experience of the analytical mapping of the route of the Kiev mission of “Roman I Lakapin’s basilikos” — the hypothetical author-compiler of Constantin Porphyrogenitus’ De administrando imperio’s chapter 9th. DAI’s geodata is critically compared with evidence from medieval (Old Scandinavian, Old Russian, Byzantine) texts and modern descriptions of the Dnieper in order to identify the toponyms contained in the sources, as well as clarifying an additional issues, such as the direction and ways of travel, the ethnic cultural identity of local informants and guides. On the basis of narrative data, the map scheme of DAI’s Dnieper itinerary, including methodological comments, graphic materials and modern maps of the Dnieper region is being built.

- by Sergei A. Kozlov
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- Historical Geography, Byzantine Literature, Byzantine Studies, Byzantium
- by Kiril Marinow
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- Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies, Image Science, Medieval Studies

An in-depth study of MSS Vat. gr. 704, Oxon. Bodl. Barocci 48 and some other later manuscripts, such as MS Vat. gr. 1444, provides a new reconstruction for both the authorial composition of the Solutiones quaestionum and the De numero... more

Byzantium in Early Turkish Republican Novels

Discusses use of purple dyed fabrics in Antiquity and Byzantium

- by Jane Bridgeman
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- Colour Science, Byzantium, Textile Dyeing, Tyrian purple
- by Andrew Gillett
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- Late Antiquity, Byzantium, Procopius
- by Roland Betancourt
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- Media Sociology, Queer Studies, Iconography, Media Studies
- by Michael R J Bonner
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- Classics, Persian Literature, Late Antiquity, Imperial Rome

Campaigns of Germanicus, AD 13-16 describes briefly the campaigns, joint and combined ops., tactics, strategy, foreign policy, espionage, intelligence gathering, and strategy between ca. 60 BC and AD 150 with particular focus on... more

Deze paper behandelt de parafrase van Manuel Moschopoulos op het eerste boek van de Ilias, meer bepaald zijn parafrase op de eerste 317 verzen ervan. Eerst wordt een historische context geboden om het werk te kaderen in de periode waarin het geschreven is, namelijk de Paleologische Renaissance. Binnen dit kader bevindt zich een uitweiding over het onderwijs, aangezien deze parafrase voor het onderwijs werd geschreven, en over het intellectuele milieu waarin Moschopoulos zich bevond.
Homeros kende en kent nog steeds zijn belang voor de literatuur. In een tweede hoofdstuk wordt besproken wat Homeros betekende voor de mensen in Byzantium, vooral in de periode van de 12e tot de 14e eeuw. Hieruit blijkt dat Homeros' werken vooral in het onderwijs gebruikt werden. De teksten inspireerden de mensen wel om na te denken over het verhaal achter zijn werken, maar men deed geen uitgebreide studies meer naar Homeros zoals bij de Alexandrijnen.
Het genre van de parafrase wordt uitgelegd met een opdeling in twee categorieën, die beiden hun aandeel kenden in het onderwijs, enerzijds als oefening, anderzijds als hulpmiddel bij het lezen van antieke teksten. De verschillende parafrases op de Ilias worden hier besproken.
Een hoofdstuk over het leven en werk van Moschopoulos moet duiding geven over de auteur in kwestie.
In een volgend hoofdstuk biedt ik de eerste vertaling ooit van de parafrase op de eerste 317 verzen van het eerste boek van de Ilias en een uitgebreide commentaar. Deze gaat dieper in op het taalgebruik van Moschopoulos, op de verhouding van zijn parafrase tot het origineel en op de mogelijke bronnen die hij heeft gebruikt bij het schrijven van zijn parafrase.

Written in 1851 – 1869, Skarlatos Byzantios' three-volume masterpiece constitutes a feat of 19th c. scholarship, presented here for the first time in an annotated English translation. Drawing on Classical, Byzantine, Western European and Ottoman sources, Constantinople covers a vast period of over two and a half millennia, from the mythical foundation of Byzantium to Skarlatos' own time. A true polyglot and a keen observer, Skarlatos guides the reader through the neighbourhoods, monuments and social practices of his native city, assisted by detailed references to major historical events, personalities and long-forgotten anecdotes. His scholarly interests span across an impressive array of disciplines: political and social history, literature, architecture, epigraphy, urban planning, demography, ethnography, art and folklore. Above all, Skarlatos is a self-avowed devotee of the City of cities.

- by Mykola Melnyk
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- Religion, Byzantium
- by Michal Řoutil
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- Byzantine Studies, Byzantine History, Byzantium

Abstract
This article examines the longstanding rivalry of Rome and Parthia, which began as an unintended consequence of Crassus’ decisive defeat at Carrhae in 53 BCE. It synthesizes the accounts and opinions of numerous Graeco-Roman writers from the Augustan Age to late antiquity in order to help illustrate the new and interconnected post-Carrhae world and its legacy. The rivalry of the Romans and Parthians became a primary focus of their foreign policies and drastically expanded their perceptions of the world in which they interacted. Even after the fall of the Parthians to the rebellious Sassanid Persians in the 220s CE, the Romans continued to find their three-century-long rivalry with the Parthians of interest and relevant to the changing world of late antiquity.

- by Nikolaus L Overtoom
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- History, Ancient History, European History, Military History

Η Ἔκθεσις Κεφαλαίων Παραινετικῶν είναι το μοναδικό κείμενο που μας κληροδότησε η γραφίδα του Αγαπητού Διακόνου. Το έργο αυτό, αποδέκτης του οποίου ήταν ο αυτοκράτωρ Ιουστινιανός Α΄ (527-565), γνώρισε πολύ μεγάλη διάδοση ήδη κατά τους βυζαντινούς χρόνους, αξιοποιήθηκε από την εποχή της Αναγέννησης ως εγχειρίδιο για τη διδασκαλία της ελληνικής γλώσσας στη Δύση και στις παραδουνάβιες ηγεμονίες, μεταφράστηκε σε πλήθος γλωσσών (βουλγαρική, λατινική, εκκλησιαστική σλαβονική, αγγλική, γαλλική, γερμανική κ.ά.) και επηρέασε περισσότερο από κάθε άλλο βυζαντινό κείμενο τον πολιτικό στοχασμό των λαών, οι οποίοι ήρθαν σε επαφή με τη Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία. Το ευσύνοπτο αυτό πόνημα αποκαλύπτει με ενάργεια τις θεμελιώδεις αρχές της πολιτικής σκέψης των Βυζαντινών κατά τον 6ο αιώνα αναφορικά με τις αρετές του ιδανικού ηγεμόνος και με τον ιδεατό τρόπο άσκησης της βασιλικής εξουσίας.
Ο παρών τόμος περιλαμβάνει το πρωτότυπο κείμενο της Ἐκθέσεως Κεφαλαίων Παραινετικῶν και την πρώτη απόδοση του έργου στη Νεοελληνική γλώσσα. Με την εισαγωγή και τα εκτενή ερμηνευτικά σχόλια που συνοδεύουν το κείμενο, το πόνημα του Αγαπητού Διακόνου εντάσσεται πλήρως στο ιστορικό και πολιτικό πλαίσιο της εποχής του, το ζήτημα της χρονολόγησης του έργου εξετάζεται υπό νέο πρίσμα και η διαχρονική αξία του κειμένου καθίσταται προφανής.
http://www.grigorisbooks.gr/product/1885/%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%8D-%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BA%CF%8C%CE%BD%CE%BF%CF%85.-%CE%AD%CE%BA%CE%B8%CE%B5%CF%83%CE%B9%CF%82-%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%86%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%AF%CF%89%CE%BD-%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD

Dans l’Antiquité, christianisme et philosophie se font face comme deux voies d’accès à la vérité : l’une, par le moyen de la foi, l’autre, par la recherche rationnelle. Les rapports du christianisme et de la philosophie sont cependant plus complexes. Les néoplatoniciens accordent une place grandissante aux éléments extra-rationnels et en viennent à ne plus considérer la raison comme la seule voie d’accès au savoir. Inversement, les chrétiens reconnaissent une certaine vérité dans la philosophie et lui accordent un rôle préliminaire dans l’acquisition de la sagesse. Souvent convaincus que la révélation biblique est la source du savoir grec, les chrétiens présentent leur religion comme la seule « vraie philosophie ». Ce livre retrace les grandes lignes d’une confrontation qui joua un rôle capital dans la formation de la doctrine chrétienne comme dans la transmission de la culture gréco-romaine. Il amène à réviser certaines idées reçues sur le christianisme et son rapport à la raison.

- by Sébastien Morlet
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- Religion, Christianity, Philosophy, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies

This paper aims to discuss the importance of diplomacy as a major factor in the survival of the Byzantine Empire for 1123 years – from the inauguration of the empire’s capital, Constantinople on May 11, 330 CE, until the fall of Constantinople and, consequently, the Byzantine Empire to the hands of the Ottomans on May 29, 1453. It was one of the longest lasting social organisations in history. Byzantium survived through adaptation and diplomacy. The backbone of Byzantium’s longevity was its administration, which managed to adapt to frequent changes of rulers, and ongoing crises on its borders. With a very limited military force and ongoing crises on its borders, diplomacy was the key for the empire’s survival.

В истории «даров волхвов» из монастыря святого Павла на Афоне можно проследить по историческим источникам следующие периоды: 1) «дароносивые златые сосуды, иже принесоша Христу с дары волсви» в XI-XII вв. хранились в ризнице св. Софии; 2) в 1470 г. Мара Бранкович, дочь сербского деспота Георгия Бранковича и Ирины Кантакузины, жена османского султана Мурата II, принесла «дароносивые златые сосуды, иже принесоша Христу с дары волсви» в дар сербскому монастырю св. Павла на Афоне, о чем гласил турецкий фирман, утраченный во время пожара 1902 г.; 3) в XVI-XVII вв. «дароносивые златые сосуды, иже принесоша Христу с дары волсви» были переделаны в золотой пояс, насчитывающий 9 золотых пластин и 69 бусин из смеси ладана и смирны; 4) после 1744 г., когда монастырь св. Павла вновь заселили греки, число пластин увеличилось до 28, а бусин убавилось на 7.

- by Renate Burri
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- Cartography, Greek Literature, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Reception Studies

The Florence Manuscript, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Laur. Plut. 75.3, has preserved a collection of medical remedies traditionally attributed to an otherwise unknown female author called Metrodora. In this article, I reinforce the argument that probably only the first part of this text was an original compo- sition, whereas parts two and three are excerpts from other medical authors. Moreover, I propose that Metrodora’s text must be read according to three different perspectives: the production of Byzantine medical collections (syllogai), the Byzantine hospitals, and the role of women in the medical field in the late antique and Byzantine periods.

- by Gemma Storti
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- Ancient Medicine, Byzantium, Metrodora, Alexander of Tralles

The Byzantine emperor Leo VI (886–912), was not a general or even a soldier, like his predecessors, but a scholar, and it was the religious education he gained under the tutelage of the patriarch Photios that was to distinguish him as an unusual ruler. This book analyses Leo's literary output, focusing on his deployment of ideological principles and religious obligations to distinguish the characteristics of the Christian oikoumene from the Islamic caliphate, primarily in his military manual known as the Taktika. It also examines in depth his 113 legislative Novels, with particular attention to their theological prolegomena, showing how the emperor's religious sensibilities find expression in his reshaping of the legal code to bring it into closer accord with Byzantine canon law. Meredith L. D. Riedel argues that the impact of his religious faith transformed Byzantine cultural identity and influenced his successors, establishing the Macedonian dynasty as a 'golden age' in Byzantium.

- by Meredith Riedel
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- History of Christianity, Byzantium, Byzantine Law, Byzantine homiletics

This paper collects and evaluates all available data from the Byzantine and Eastern (Armenian, Arabic, Syrian, Turkish) sources that demonstrate that the Battle of Mantzikert (August 26, 1071 AD) was not, at least in diplomatic terms, a great disaster for the Byzantine state, as is usually supported. During the negotiations and in the official peace treaty that followed at the Turkish military camp near the area of the battlefield (late August - early September), the concessions of the defeated and captured Byzantine emperor Romanos ΙV Diogenes to the victor Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan were rather limited. Consequently, Byzantium did not officially concede or lost lands of considerable size to its eastern border in 1071 AD.

- by Georgios A. Leveniotis
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- History, Military History, Diplomatic History, Medieval History

The Patria is a fascinating four-book collection of short historical notes, stories, and legends about the buildings and monuments of Constantinople, compiled in the late tenth century by an anonymous author who made ample use of older sources. It also describes the foundation and early (pre-Byzantine) history of the city, and includes the Narrative on the Construction of Hagia Sophia, a semi-legendary account of Emperor Justinian I’s patronage of this extraordinary church (built between 532 and 537). The Patria constitutes a unique record of popular traditions about the city, especially its pagan statues, held by its medieval inhabitants. At the same time it is the only Medieval Greek text to present a panorama of the city as it existed in the middle Byzantine period. Despite its problems of historical reliability, the Patria is still one of our main guides for the urban history of medieval Constantinople. This translation makes the entire text of the Patria accessible in English for the first time.

Доклад «’’Звенигородский чин” прп. Андрея Рублева: современные проблемы изучения» на III Чтениях памяти В.А. Плугина на историческом факультете МГУ 14 ноября 2017 г. В докладе полностью доказана по данным всего комплекса источников неоспоримая принадлежность знаменитого «Звенигородского чина» кисти великого иконописца прп. Андрея Рублева († 17.10.1428). Тем самым начисто развенчаны легковесные мнения молодых сотрудников ГТГ Л.В. Нерсесяна и С.В. Свердловой (поддержанных только А.М. Лидовым), прозвучавшие на круглом столе в Третьяковской галерее 21 июня 2017 г., что «Звенигородский чин» 1396 г. якобы не был написан прп. Андреем Рублевым и отличается от его общепризнанных икон, таких, как чудотворная икона «Живоначальная Троица». Такие незрелые суждения не соответствуют уровню современного научного знания об этих шедеврах и обусловлены недостаточной осведомленностью авторов «сенсации» о творческой биографии всемирно известного иконописца Древней Руси, которая взята ими для корреляции: «получается, что Рублев, будучи еще совсем молодым мастером, создал одно из самых совершенных и сложных по технике произведений древнерусской живописи, но через четверть века по какой-то неизвестной причине радикальным образом изменил свою манеру» (Софья Свердлова).
Доклад проф. О.Г. Ульянова, заведующего Сектором церковной археологии ФГБУК «Центральный музей древнерусской культуры и искусства имени прп. Андрея Рублева», подготовлен на базе научно-исследовательского проекта «Преподобный Андрей Рублев в Спасо-Андрониковом монастыре».

- by Roger Benito Julià
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- Byzantium, Daily Life in Byzantium, Medieval Games, Jocs
- by Dragoș Bahrim
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- Patristics, Byzantine Literature, Spirituality, Byzantine Studies