The Chronicle of Theophanes

The Chronicle of Theophanes PDF

Author: Theophanes (the Confessor)

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 1982-09

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9780812211283

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The most important illuminating source that survived from the two centuries termed "the dark ages of Byzantium" is the chronicle of the monk Theophanes (d. 817 or 818). In it Theophanes paints a vivid picture of the Empire's struggle in the seventh and eighth centuries both to withstand foreign invasions and to quell internal religious conflicts. Theophanes's carefully developed chronological scheme was mined extensively by later Byzantine and Western record keepers; his chronicle was used as a source of information as well as a stylistic model. It is the framework upon which all Byzantine chronology for this period must be based. Important topics covered by the Chronicle include: The Empire's struggle to repel explosive Arab expansionism and the Bulgar invasion. The iconoclastic controversy, which caused civil war within Byzantium and led to schism between the churches of Constantinople and Rome. The development of the Byzantine thematic system, the administrative and social structure that would bring the Empire to the height of its power and prosperity. Almost all the sources used by Theophanes have perished, leaving his chronicle as the most important historical literature from this period. Turledove's translation makes available in English this crucial primary text for the study of medieval Byzantine civilization.

The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor

The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor PDF

Author: Theophanes (the Confessor)

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 868

ISBN-13:

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This is the first complete translation into English (or any other modern language) of the Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor (d.818), which covers the period AD 284-813 and is one of the most important sources of Byzantine history, that of the Arabs under the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties and of other neighbouring peoples (notably the Bulgarians). The Chronicle is a compilation of earlier sources, many of them now lost: in order to use it critically the historian needs to know what texts Theophanes had in front of him and how he handled them. These have consequently been indicated in the text in so far as they can be indentified. Full annotation has also been provided on points of historical and topographical interest. The career of Theophanes, the character of the Chronicle, its manuscript tradition, and the use of earlier sources are discussed in the Introduction.

Byzantine Chronicles and the Sixth Century

Byzantine Chronicles and the Sixth Century PDF

Author: Roger Scott

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-02-06

Total Pages: 538

ISBN-13: 1351219448

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Byzantine chronicles have traditionally been regarded as a somewhat inferior form of Byzantine history writing, especially in comparison with 'classicizing' historians. The aim of many of these papers is both to rescue the reputation of the Byzantine chroniclers, especially Malalas and Theophanes, and also to provide some examples of how these two chroniclers in particular can be exploited usefully both to reveal aspects of the past itself, notably of the period of Justinian, and also of how the Byzantines interpreted their own past, which included on occasions rewriting that past to suit altered contemporary needs. For the period of Justinian in particular, proper attention to aspects of the humble Byzantine chronicle can also help achieve a better understanding of the period than that provided by the classicizing Procopius with his emphasis on war and conquest. By considering more general aspects of the place of history-writing in Byzantine culture, the papers also help explain why history remained such an important aspect of Byzantine culture.

Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Liber quo Vita Basilii Imperatoris amplectitur

Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Liber quo Vita Basilii Imperatoris amplectitur PDF

Author: Ihor Ševcenko

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2011-12-23

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 3110227398

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The life of Emperor Basil I (867–886), the founder of the Macedonian Dynasty, is the only extant secular biography in Byzantine literature; in its importance and as an instance of the genre it is comparable to Einhard’s Vita Caroli Magni. Composed in the circle of scholars around Basil’s grandson Constantine VII Prophyrogennitos and at his instigation as early as 957 and 959, the Vita Basilii is one of the main sources for the cultural and political history of Byzantium and its neighbours in the 9th and 10th centuries. Previous editions (whether from the 17th or 19th centuries) were based on secondary manuscripts; they are not reliable, because of their arbitrary conjectures and a large number of unjustified additions from a parallel source. The present edition is based on Vaticanus gr. 167, the source of all extant manuscripts, and the insertions made by the earlier editors are removed. In producing the new text, the editor also had access to the draft edition he rediscovered which the famous Byzantinist Karl de Boor prepared around 1903.

Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Libri I-IV

Chronographiae quae Theophanis Continuati nomine fertur Libri I-IV PDF

Author: Jeffrey Michael Featherstone

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2015-11-13

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1614515042

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Taking up where the the chronicle of the monk Theophanes leaves off , the compilation known as Theophanes Continuatus was originally commissioned by the emperor Constantine VII (912-959) and marked the revival, or reinvention, of the genre of history in Byzantium, which also included the less successful text of Genesios, who worked with the same dossier of sources. A principal source for the second period of Iconoclasm and the Amorian dynasty, the tendentious narrative of Books I-IV of Theophanes Continuatus was intended to justify the murderous accession of Basil I (867-886), grandfather of Constantine VII and founder of the Macedonian dynasty, by presenting the emperors who preceded Basil as cruel heretics (Leo V, Michael II, Theophilus) or profligates (Michael III). But the facts here recorded and the often playful use of Classical learning give proof to the careful reader that the revival of Byzantine military power and culture from the Dark Age of the seventh and eighth centuries gained momentum under these same emperors. The present critical edition of Books I-IV replaces that of 1838 by I. Bekker. Accompanied by the first complete English translation and grammatical and historical indexes, the work is intended for specialists, students, and scholars in related fields.

The Chronographia of George the Synkellos and Theophanes

The Chronographia of George the Synkellos and Theophanes PDF

Author: Jesse W. Torgerson

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2022-07-25

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 9004516859

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The ninth-century Chronographia of George the Synkellos and Theophanes is the most influential historical text ever written in medieval Constantinople. Yet modern historians have never explained its popularity and power. This interdisciplinary study draws on new manuscript evidence to finally animate the Chronographia’s promise to show attentive readers the present meaning of the past. Begun by one of the Roman emperor’s most trusted and powerful officials in order to justify a failed revolt, the project became a shockingly ambitious re-writing of time itself—a synthesis of contemporary history, philosophy, and religious practice into a politicized retelling of the human story. Even through radical upheavals of the Byzantine political landscape, the Chronographia’s unique historical vision again and again compelled new readers to chase after the elusive Ends of Time.

History of the Byzantine State

History of the Byzantine State PDF

Author: Georgije Ostrogorski

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 1969

Total Pages: 736

ISBN-13: 9780813511986

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Succinctly traces the Byzantine Empire's thousand-year course with emphasis on political development and social, aesthetic, economic and ecclesiastical factors

The Chronicle of the Logothete

The Chronicle of the Logothete PDF

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2020-10-29

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781789628074

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The Chronicle of the Logothete covers the period from the Creation of the World to the burial of emperor Romanos I Lekapenos in the summer of 948 AD. If we deduce a medieval text's importance and success from the number of extant manuscripts, this work must score highly. While some medieval chronicles have come down to us in only one manuscript, about thirty manuscripts transmit the Chronicle of the Logothete in its main form, and there are also manuscripts containing different kinds of elaborated versions of the text. Also, the chronicle was translated into Old Slavonic at least twice. In spite of the work's popularity, the chronicler himself remains obscure. It has been suggested that this could be Symeon Metaphrastes, an illustrious Byzantine literate who collected and edited, or wrote, Saints' Lives. However, fairly certain is only that the final compilation of the text was made in the second half of the tenth century, and there seems to be a pro-Lekapenian bias and an antipathy towards the Macedonian dynasty. This volume is based on the translator's 2006 edition of the text and constitutes the first translation ever into English.

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