Byzantinische Zeitschrift, volume 116, issue 3 (October 2023).
CONTENTS INCLUDE
Alcune osservazioni sulla simonia nell’Impero d’Oriente del VI secolo
Marco Cristini
The sale and purchase of res sacrae was a common activity in the sixth century, as the novels of Justinian indicate. In 535, the emperor tried to entirely prohibit simony, but in 546 he was forced to accept the transfer of goods and distribution of gifts that routinely accompanied the assumption of an ecclesiastical office.In doing so, he legalized a practice that had become widespread and was used by the imperial authorities themselves on several occasions. The real ‘Justinianic Turn’ was not represented by the liberalization of simony, as has recently been argued, but by its prohibition eleven years earlier, which was the result of a reforming zeal that exerted a strong influence on Justinian around 535.
The capacity for self-sufficiency of Middle Byzantine urban settlements
Elie De Rosen
Two of the most important physical requirements of urban residents are food and water. The procurement of water can be done locally. Regarding food, scholars have generally asserted that Middle Byzantine urban settlements were not self-sufficient. They relied on the agricultural produce of their hinterlands. This paper will make the case that some urban settlements potentially produced enough food to render them self-sufficient, and that it may be worth rethinking the traditional interpretation.
The Hermoglyphos Pason and the enigma of a stone: Arist. Metaph. 9. 8. 1050a and its commentaries
Eva Falaschi
This paper deals with the mention of Pauson’s Hermes in Aristotle’s Metaphysics (9.8.1050a.19–20)and its exegetical tradition. After discussing the interpretations offered by Aristotle’s commentators in the Greek, Arabic and Latin traditions of the text, the paper provides a new explanation of Ps. Alexander’s commentary, which helps solve the problem of the enigmatic statue described by the Byzantine commentator. It argues that Ps. Alexander’s interpretation probably results from misunderstanding a previous interpretation of the Hermes as a carved gem rather than a stone sculpture.
A generic experiment of Ioannes Phokas: imaginary guide and dialogical appropriation of Palestine in the Brief ekphrasis of the Holy Land
Lev Lukhovitskiy and Varvara Zharkaya
The Brief ekphrasis of the Holy Land ascribed to a certain Ioannes Phokas is a very unusual piece of literature because, unlike other ekphraseis, it deals with a journey. Since the Byzantines did not develop universally accepted rules for writing about pilgrimages, Phokas’ text (like any other rare example of what might be called Byzantine “travel” literature) is a generic experiment but, as we argue, an involuntary one. Having drawn Phokas’ cultural profile, we provide a close literary reading of the text contextualizing it against the backdrop of the ekphrastic tradition and contemporary “travel” literature (Manasses’ Hodoiporikon). Firstly, Phokas’ text is read as a verbal map of the Holy Land and a latent dialogical ekphrasis, a form that resonates with the policy of cultural reappropriation of the region pursued by Emperor Manuel I. Secondly, reading the same text as an imaginary guide, we analyze the way Phokas writes himself and his reader into the narrative and suppresses the details of the factual journey making his text future-instead of past-oriented.
Der Briefwechsel Paul Marcs mit Konstantin Jireček (1903 – 1917) und das Corpus der griechischen Urkunden
Andreas E. Müller and Günter L. Fuchs
When Karl Krumbacher initiated the Corpus of Greek Documents of the Middle Ages and the Recent Period at the beginning of the 20th century, he was able to win over the respected Austrian historian, Slavist and Balkanologist Konstantin Jireček (1854–1918) as a collaborator, as well as his student and assistant, the young Munich Byzantinist Paul Marc (1877–1949), who bore the main responsibility for this project for a number of years. The present article is based on hitherto unpublished letters from Jireček’s extensive legacy kept in the Scientific Archive of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, which provide insights into his cooperation with Marc and the internal processes of the Corpus project.
Alexander the Great engineer and inventor. Elite representation in western Asia Minor and early Byzantine origins of the later Romance tradition and iconography
Philipp Niewöhner and Sezin Sezer
Newly discovered ruins in a rural location near Antioch in Pisidia appear to have formed the reception unit of an elite mansion from the early Byzantine period. Floor mosaics depict three episodes of the Alexander Romance, his Gates, his Descent into the Sea, and his Ascent to Heaven. Iconography and ornamentation reference Sasanian art and explain the peculiar way in which Alexander’s Ascent was commonly depicted in Medieval times. The mosaics pre-date all known illustrations of the three tales by half a millennium and attest to their early currency int he Greek world, ahead of the oldest textual evidence.
The engineer and the ocean. Structural hints for John Tzetzes’ ‘Homeric Allegories
Alberto Ravani
The present article demonstrate the structural unity of the Allegories of the Iliad and Allegories of the Odyssey written by John Tzetzes. A particular set of images recurs in key parts of the work tracing the overall structure of a unitary poem: the ‘Homeric Allegories’. The images can be found at the beginning of the Prolegomena to the Allegories of the Iliad, in the introduction to the Allegories of the Odyssey and in the conclusion of the Allegories of the Odyssey; these images consist of references from Herodotus, stories of famous engineers and sea images with maritime settings. Τhey also serve different purposes: the sea refers to the classical image of Homer as the ocean, while the engineer represents the writer. It is impossible to know whether Tzetzes planned the Homeric Allegories as a unitary work from the beginning, but the second half of the work, the Allegories of the Odyssey, was certainly written as a conclusion to the Allegories of the Iliad.
Patria 3.8. and echoes of Byzantine military manuals
Łukasz Różycki
The present article focuses on fragment 3.8. of the Patria, devoted to a military library that was said to have been located in the Mangana district of Constantinople. The library was mentioned only in fragment 3.8. and by Michael Glykas. The use of the phrase μηχανικαὶ βίβλοι by Patria’s author was not accidental, and the appearance of military jargon in a civilian text lends credence to the existence of a technical military library under the care of the state. The functioning of the library in Constantinople indicates that works on the theory of warfare played an important educational role. The location of the library clearly points to the utility of the book collection, meaning that, at least in part, military education was the responsibility of the state. What is more, the existence of a small specialized library may suggest that similar book collections existed in other parts of the city.
Of tortoise necks and dialects. A new edition of the Grammaticus Leidensis
Niels Schoubben, Jikke Koning, Bob van Velthoven, and Philomen Probert
In this article we provide a new edition of the Byzantine treatise on Greek dialects known under the name Grammaticus Leidensis ,in its earliest recoverable form, together with a discussion of the most unusual and intriguing features of this concise treatise.
In cauda venenum: The end of Libanius’ letter collection and Foerster’s edition
Lieve Van Hoof
Ever since the appearance of Foerster’s acclaimed edition of Libanius’ letters, scholars have asserted that Libanius’ letter collection consists of 1544 genuine items.This article shows that the end of Libanius’ letter collection as printed in Foerster is problematic. A return to the manuscripts, inspired by new philology as well as recent trends in the study of ancient epistolography, reduces the lacuna in book 1, corrects chronological and prosopographical data, and raises important questions concerning the contents, shape, narrative and transmission of Libanius’ letter collection
Holy day in a holy place: space, time, and annual miracles in late antique hagiography and the cult of saints
Robert Wiśniewski
This article examines hagiographical accounts of miracles that occurred annually at sanctuaries of martyr saints on their feast days. It argues that these accounts, popular in Christian literature of the later part of the first Millennium in both the eastern and western Mediterranean, demonstrate the parallel development and close resemblance between Christian concepts of holy places and holy days. The annual miracles confirmed the saints’ powerful presence at specific points in time and space, demonstrating that neither the selection of cult places nor feast days was arbitrary, but reflected God’s design. God scattered holy places and holy days throughout the earth and the year in order to add glory to His saints and support His people.
Reconstructing the Byzantine sericulture practice
Gang Wu
Despite the pivotal role of the silk industry in the history of the Byzantine Empire, our knowledge of Byzantine sericulture (the cultivation of silkworms), the industry’s fundamental component, remains limited and relies heavily on other better-documented sericulture practices. It is often assumed that Byzantine sources offer little information about sericulture and that the Byzantines lacked distinctiveness in their treatment of silkworms. This article challenges this prevailing view by reconstructing the Byzantine sericulture practice based on Byzantine textual sources. It concludes with a general and diachronic overview of the practice, shedding light on many aspects that have been overlooked or misunderstood in previous scholarship. Furthermore, it explores how this reconstructed picture can contribute to future studies on the Byzantine silk industry.
The uses of oaths in early Byzantine imperial politics: a reconsideration
Michael Wuk
This article reconsiders the frequent swearing of oaths in early Byzantine imperial politics. While scholars typically consider the practice as a method of consolidating obligations, to both the authors who describe politically motivated oaths and the actors who reportedly utilised them, the deployment of such promises had value beyond simply holding the swearers to their word. Accusations of perjury which was understood to lead to supernatural retribution an exclusion from Christianity, could be weaponised to stigmatise and act against alleged oath-breakers. The act of swearing itself could facilitate the achievement of political goals and highlight the balance of authority between the parties involved. In some cases, the tactical bending and breaking of pacts could even make the maintenance or violation of oaths irrelevant. Importantly, none of these utilisations required that the promises in question were upheld. Instead, the core political value of these oaths lay in their rhetorical significance, which made the strategic use and abuse of these pledges possible.