De Medio Aevo, volume 13, number 2 (2024): Scientific Interests and Technological Innovation in Byzantium: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.

CONTENTS INCLUDE

Scientific Interests and Technological Innovation in Byzantium: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Doru Costache 

This editorial begins by surveying the status of Byzantine science and technology as a field integral to the history of science as an academic discipline. After addressing the marginalization of Byzantine science and technology until quite recently, the editorial then proceeds to show that the origins of this field are not recent. Building on the trailblazers of the early twentieth century, a plethora of scholars have already contributed to the emergence of the field as a respectable and consequential pursuit. Much more should be done, however, and the articles here summarised inaugurate further avenues of research that, hopefully, will contribute to the recognition of this field by historians of science and scholars of Byzantium alike.

The Medieval Slavonic Reception of Maximus the Confessor’s Circle – Center – Radii Analogy
Vladimir Cvetković 

The paper contends that certain circle diagrams discovered in 14th-century Slavonic medieval manuscripts of Dorotheus of Gaza’s Instructions, crafted during the Palamite controversy, are influenced by the concepts of Maximus the Confessor. The paper offers an in-depth analysis of select Slavonic diagrams originating from Serbian monasteries in the final decades of the 14th century. It begins by examining simple diagrams wherein the circle’s center represents God, and the radii represent created beings moving towards God,  then progresses to investigate more intricate diagrams. These complex diagrams include  circle or square shaped center, outer circumference, concentric rings, multicolored radii and twisted cruciform bands. It is further argued that these new diagramatic elements are employed to visualize complex ideas such as the Holy Trinity as differentiations in unity, the ontological limit of creation set by divine providence, the triadic structure of logoi of beings and the double movement of procession and reversion.

All roads lead to (New) Rome: Byzantine astronomy and geography in a rapidly changing world
Richard de Grijs 

During the first few centuries CE, the centre of the known world gradually shifted from Alexandria to Constantinople. Combined with a societal shift from pagan beliefs to Christian doctrines, Antiquity gave way to the Byzantine era. While Western Europe entered an extended period of intellectual decline, Constantinople developed into a rich cultural crossroads between East and West. Yet, Byzantine scholarship in astronomy and  geography  continued to rely heavily on their ancient Greek heritage, and particularly on Ptolemy’s Geography. Unfortunately, Ptolemy’s choices for his geographic coordinate system resulted in inherent and significant distortions of and inaccuracies in maps centred on the Byzantine Empire. This comprehensive review of Byzantine geographic achievements—supported  by a review of astronomical developments pertaining to position determination on Earth—aims to demonstrate why and how, when Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453 and the Ottoman Empire commenced, Byzantine astronomers had become the central axis in an extensive network of Christians, Muslims and Jews. Their influence remained significant well into the Ottoman era, particularly in the context of geographical applications.

Preliminary considerations on the columns and framings of the Nicetas codex (Laur. Plut. 74.7)
Gary Bovine and Lazaris Stavros 

The Nicetas codex (Laur. Plut. 74.7) dated 10th century is the oldest extant Greek manuscript on Hippocrates and his followers with commentaries of orthopaedic methods on fractures, luxations, subluxations, and bandaging techniques. Of visual interest are two texts, Apollonius of Citium on methods of joint treatment techniques, and Soranus of Ephesus on bandaging. The Apollonius of Citium text contains 29 color illustrations of Hippocrates techniques of reducing luxations of the joints, framed with semicircular pediments, two columns and arches. These frames are similar to the columns and arches seen in the Eusebian Gospel tables. The authors discuss the meaning of these frames as they apply to the Eusebian Gospels, and their importance as mnemonic devices for the Apollonius of Citium illustrations.

Innovation and Byzantine Alchemy in Context: The Constantinian Solidus and the Chrysopoetic Goal
Gerasimos Merianos 

The concept of innovation has not been thoroughly explored in the context of Byzantine science, much less so concerning Byzantine alchemy. This article argues that persisting historiographical biases depicting Byzantium as a stagnant culture also influence perceptions of Byzantine science as anti-innovative. Building on recent advancements in the  study of innovation in Byzantine culture, this article begins with a preliminary examination of the relationship between science and innovation in Byzantium, revealing intriguing dynamics between the concepts of “tradition” and “innovation”. Next, it investigates a case study of innovation in Byzantine alchemy, namely how a monetary and economic innovation, the introduction of the solidus by Constantine the Great, likely influenced the perception of alchemy as primarily a chrysopoetic art. In essence, it explores how an external innovation can impact a scientific field, potentially leading to innovative conceptions and change within it.

Astral Iconography and the Byzantine Study of the Heavens
Doru Costache 

Byzantine astral iconography developed from early Christian and ancient visual culture, with the latter via a profound process of Christianisation. In turn, the early Christian fascination with astral imagery went through stages of transformation prompted by various factors. Among these, the influence of neighbouring cultures and the widespread interest in astrology are solidly researched. But recent studies of Byzantine science, including astronomy and astrology, open new avenues of interpretation regarding astral iconography. Accordingly, this article considers the flourishing of astral, especially zodiacal, iconography in Byzantium’s later centuries and in the post-Byzantine era as an outcome of scientific progress. Even so, a fuller understanding of the relevant iconography is impossible without the theological worldview of the Byzantines, which also legitimised the rebirth of the astral sciences.

Thoughts on the conception of Nature in Byzantium (11th-12th Centuries)
Stavros Lazaris 

This paper examines a new way of looking at nature in Byzantium in the 11th and 12th centuries, and how this may have impacted the conception of the individual. This shift in mentalities is studied by analysing several testimonies from this period, as well as other contemporary elements such as a pronounced taste for gardens and hunting. The study of artworks reinforces this perception, which bears witness to the Byzantines’ desire to reflect on their place between nature and Creation.

Miracles of Technology and Art: Ancient Religious Aesthetics and Byzantine Iconoclasm
Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides 

This article explores the role of technology in arousing religious awe from classical antiquity to the time of Emperor Theophilos. People’s fascination with technology ensured that this trend, increasingly popular in Greco-Roman religious festivals from the Hellenistic period onwards, persevered in Christian veneration practice after an initial period of rejecting pagan religious aesthetics. Technology was highly prized by both pagan and Christian rulers who typically sought to impress their subjects by displaying the technology available at their disposal. However, while the emperors’ reliance on technology  to allude to divine favour was tolerated, technology employed to stage miracles or influence faith was deeply harmful for Christianity. Theophilos’ father is reported by Eutychius to have punished paradigmatically the mastermind of one such mechanically enabled  miracle in his native Phrygia. Thus, Theophilos’ iconoclastic views as well as his known obsession with automata are explored as part of a longstanding debate on Christian religious aesthetics.