Why did the Byzantines write History?
Our desires and expectations for good history do not align with those of the medieval authors of Byzantine histories.
It’s in the Water: Byzantine Borderlands and the Village War
The sources for this essay are a series of military manuals written by Byzantine army commanders first in the late sixth century and then again in the tenth century.
Chronology and History in Byzantium
Compared with historiography, chronological writing develops against a wider background than human affairs, and it focuses on the order of events and the time intervals between them, rather than on their internal development, their meaning, or their causes.
Art and Devotional Practices in the Byzantine Village: The Long View
In this talk, Gerstel will look at devotional art in several Greek villages and will also discuss how engaging with art in the village may provide opportunities for medievalists to move beyond the strict chronological confines of our field to take a more activist stance in approaching buildings and their communities.
Spectacle, Power and Romanness in Byzantium: The Use of Roman Heritage in the Ceremonial Practices in the Hippodrome (10th-century)
This thesis will provide a case study in the debate on Byzantine identity by analysing how the Byzantine emperor projected an image of himself to Byzantine society in ritual and ceremonial.
“The Great Emperor”: A Motif in Procopius of Caesarea’s Wars
When Justinian is described to barbarians as “the great emperor,” this reflects an anxiety about the emergence of post-Roman successor states in the West and a growing determination to pursue imperial reconquest.
Don’t become a scholar! Advice from the 12th century
For those of us who have studied the arts and humanities, have we not been warned that all our efforts would never lead to a job?
A Pious Mouse and a Deadly Cat: The Schede tou Myos, attributed to Theodore Prodromos
The text, here translated and commented on, is a school exercise but comic in tone, and so appropriate both for pupils and as court entertainment, as it echoes contemporary criticism of monks.
NEW! The Medieval Magazine, No. 110: THE RISE OF THE MEDIEVAL CITY
In this issue, we focus on cities. From Barcelona, to Constantinople, to Bologna, we cover marriage, trade, slavery, and foundation stories. Take a trip with us around the world and learn about the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the medieval city.
The Square “Fighting March” of the Crusaders at the Battle of Ascalon (1099)
In this paper I will examine a number of theories about the origin of this particular marching formation, based on the manuals attributed to the Byzantine Emperors Maurice (582–602), Leo VI (886–912) and Nicephoros Phocas (963– 69) and several anonymous Byzantine military treatises of the sixth and tenth centuries.
Imperium et Credo: Frankish-Byzantine Rivalry over Leadership of the Roman-Christian Credo-State in the Ninth Century
The years 869-871 saw the onset of the last major diplomatic dispute between the two great powers of Christendom, the Franks in Western Europe and the Byzantines in the East. Louis
NEW! The Medieval Magazine No. 108
Spring cleaning! The first issue of the Medieval Magazine with a fresh new face!
In this issue, we look at Norse seasons, medieval beliefs about luck, food and politics in Constantinople, Spanish Easter traditions, and the overlooked life of Catherine of Aragon.
Medieval Forensics: Investigating the Death of a Byzantine Emperor
John II Komnenos (1087-1143) was an accomplished and successful medieval ruler whose death has long been the subject of scholarly discussion. While out hunting, John was allegedly poisoned by an arrow – but was this really the cause of the emperor’s death?
St. Theodore, Euchaïta and Anatolia, c. 500-1000 CE: Landscape, Climate and the Survival of an Empire
St Theodore ‘the recruit’ was one of the most important military saints of the Byzantine and wider medieval world, and his cult center, at Euchaïta in northern Turkey, was famous from the fifth century on.
7 Devious Ways to Defeat a Medieval Army
Could you defeat a medieval army without resorting to a clash of arms? A 10th century Byzantine military manual offers several tricks that could be used to devastate your enemy.
Byzantine fountain and pools discovered in Israel
Archaeological Excavations in Ein Hanniya Park in Rephaim Valley National Park, Israel, have uncovered impressive and significant finds, including pools and an elaborate fountain dating back 1500 years, a capital typical of First Temple-era royal estates, and a rare silver coin.
A Will of their Own? Children’s Agency and Child Labour in Byzantium
This paper examines the relation between three concepts: a child’s will, children’s agency and child labour. This paper shows how these concepts were developed in Byzantine society in order to advance a religious agenda.
The Inverse Perspective in Byzantine Painting
The inverse perspective is a method of representing spatial depth used only in Byzantine painting. It is different from Renaissance perspective. The inverse perspective, with two-dimensional axonometric representations, is more complex, offering multiple possibilities of symbolization.
Venice’s Need for Settling the ‘Byzantine question’ by Conquest: The Fourth Crusade’s Second Siege of Constantinople (early 1204)
This article is a contribution to the ‘diversion debate’ concerning the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), which argues that ultimately the endangered Venetian commercial interests were at the core of the final decision by the crusade leadership to conquer and take over the Byzantine empire.
Multilingualism and Empires: Byzantium and Sasanian Persia
The long and bitter confrontation between Byzantium and the Sasanian Empire was one of the most important historical phenomena of Late Antiquity; it was also very significant for the development of later mediaeval societies and institutions in East and West.
The Arabic Letters of the Byzantine Emperor Leo III to the Caliph ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz: An Edition, Translation and Commentary
This study explores the tradition of the epistolary exchange between the two famous figures, the Byzantine emperor Leo III and the ‘Umayyad caliph, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz.
Marrying the Mongol Khans: Byzantine Imperial Women and the Diplomacy of Religious Conversion in the 13th and 14th Centuries
Marrying the Mongol Khans: Byzantine Imperial Women and the Diplomacy of Religious Conversion in the 13th and 14th Centuries By AnnaLinden Weller Scandanavian Journal…
The Social Scope of Roman Identity in Byzantium: An Evidence-Based Approach
This contribution concerns a specific point that no one has so far elucidated fully with reference to the evidence found in the sources: What was the social scope of attributions of Roman identity in Byzantine sources?
On the Mutilation and Blinding of Byzantine Emperors from the Reign of Heraclius I until the Fall of Constantinople
The article takes a diachronic approach to the questions regarding Byzantine emperors and pretenders who were blinded or mutilated.
