Phone: +43-1-51581-3432 Address: Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Medieval Research, Dept. of Byzantine Research, Dominikanerbastei 16/4 (postal address Wiesingerstraße 4), A-1010 Wien, Austria / Europe
The volume shows the manifold themes of Greek poetry in Late Antiquity. Pagan and Christian concepts merge in the works of Nonnus of Panopolis and in the “Ekphrasis” of John of Gaza, the poems of George of Pisidia are read against the background of late antique philosophy and the autobiographies of Gregory of Nazianzus as literary forms of expression. The ekphrastic narrative techniques of Quintus Smyrnaeus and the composition of characters in Colluthus are analyzed, and Lycophron is proved as another source of Nonnus’ “Dionysiaka”. The contributions also deal with mythological characters, cyclopes and elephants, and late antique epigrammatic poetry is contextualized in the cultural and literary environment of the time.
The volume 'Materials for the Study of Late Antique and Medieval Greek and Latin Inscriptions in ... more The volume 'Materials for the Study of Late Antique and Medieval Greek and Latin Inscriptions in Istanbul' is a revised and updated edition of the booklet originally produced for the Summer Programme in Byzantine Epigraphy. This collection of 37 essays has been prepared by Ida Toth and Andreas Rhoby to provide a broad coverage of Constantinople's (Istanbul's) inscriptional material dating back to the period between the 4th and the 15th centuries. It is intended as a comprehensive teaching tool and also as a dependable vademecum to the extant traces of Istanbul’s rich late antique and medieval epigraphic legacy: https://austriaca.at/8370-9
This book aims at a better understanding of middle and late Byzantine poetry by offering both stu... more This book aims at a better understanding of middle and late Byzantine poetry by offering both studies on specific authors and their texts and editions of so far unknown texts.It is only in recent years that Byzantine poetry – a long-neglected aspect of Byzantine literature – has attracted the attention of philologists, literary and cultural historians. This holds true especially for the poetry written in middle and late Byzantium.Though many collections of poems are available in modern critical editions, a considerable amount of texts still remains completely unedited or accessible only in outdated and unreliable editions. Moreover, many works of this period have never been studied thoroughly with regard to their cultural impact on society. Issues of authorship and patronage, function, literary motives, generic qualities, and manuscripts still await further study. This volume aims to take a step to fill this gap. Although it includes studies on poetry from the early tenth to the fifteenth centuries, the main focus is placed on the Komnenian and Palaeologan times. It presents editions of completely unknown texts, such as a twelfth-century cycle of epigrams on John Klimax. It includes studies on various types of poetry, including didactic, occasional, and even poetry written for liturgical purposes. By analysing these works and placing them within their literary and socio-cultural context, we can draw conclusions about the cultural tastes of the Byzantines and acquire a more nuanced picture of middle and late Byzantine poetry.
This is the first German translation of the verse chronicle (6620 verses) of Constantine Manasses... more This is the first German translation of the verse chronicle (6620 verses) of Constantine Manasses who flourished in the middle of the twelfth century. The translation is accompanied by a long introduction and a commentary. So far, the chronicle has only been translated into Modern Greek. An English translation came out in late 2018.
https://www.hiersemann.de/verschronik-9783777219028
The volume shows the manifold themes of Greek poetry in Late Antiquity. Pagan and Christian concepts merge in the works of Nonnus of Panopolis and in the “Ekphrasis” of John of Gaza, the poems of George of Pisidia are read against the background of late antique philosophy and the autobiographies of Gregory of Nazianzus as literary forms of expression. The ekphrastic narrative techniques of Quintus Smyrnaeus and the composition of characters in Colluthus are analyzed, and Lycophron is proved as another source of Nonnus’ “Dionysiaka”. The contributions also deal with mythological characters, cyclopes and elephants, and late antique epigrammatic poetry is contextualized in the cultural and literary environment of the time.
The volume 'Materials for the Study of Late Antique and Medieval Greek and Latin Inscriptions in ... more The volume 'Materials for the Study of Late Antique and Medieval Greek and Latin Inscriptions in Istanbul' is a revised and updated edition of the booklet originally produced for the Summer Programme in Byzantine Epigraphy. This collection of 37 essays has been prepared by Ida Toth and Andreas Rhoby to provide a broad coverage of Constantinople's (Istanbul's) inscriptional material dating back to the period between the 4th and the 15th centuries. It is intended as a comprehensive teaching tool and also as a dependable vademecum to the extant traces of Istanbul’s rich late antique and medieval epigraphic legacy: https://austriaca.at/8370-9
This book aims at a better understanding of middle and late Byzantine poetry by offering both stu... more This book aims at a better understanding of middle and late Byzantine poetry by offering both studies on specific authors and their texts and editions of so far unknown texts.It is only in recent years that Byzantine poetry – a long-neglected aspect of Byzantine literature – has attracted the attention of philologists, literary and cultural historians. This holds true especially for the poetry written in middle and late Byzantium.Though many collections of poems are available in modern critical editions, a considerable amount of texts still remains completely unedited or accessible only in outdated and unreliable editions. Moreover, many works of this period have never been studied thoroughly with regard to their cultural impact on society. Issues of authorship and patronage, function, literary motives, generic qualities, and manuscripts still await further study. This volume aims to take a step to fill this gap. Although it includes studies on poetry from the early tenth to the fifteenth centuries, the main focus is placed on the Komnenian and Palaeologan times. It presents editions of completely unknown texts, such as a twelfth-century cycle of epigrams on John Klimax. It includes studies on various types of poetry, including didactic, occasional, and even poetry written for liturgical purposes. By analysing these works and placing them within their literary and socio-cultural context, we can draw conclusions about the cultural tastes of the Byzantines and acquire a more nuanced picture of middle and late Byzantine poetry.
This is the first German translation of the verse chronicle (6620 verses) of Constantine Manasses... more This is the first German translation of the verse chronicle (6620 verses) of Constantine Manasses who flourished in the middle of the twelfth century. The translation is accompanied by a long introduction and a commentary. So far, the chronicle has only been translated into Modern Greek. An English translation came out in late 2018.
https://www.hiersemann.de/verschronik-9783777219028
This article discusses various Greek words, which are attested in lexicographical tools, especial... more This article discusses various Greek words, which are attested in lexicographical tools, especially in the Lexikon zur Byzantinischen Gräzität (LBG). However, the present study is much more than a list of Addenda et Corrigenda. On the contrary, it considers the development of Greek vocabulary from Antiquity up to Modern Times and it offers linguistic observations which are missing from the LBG and other dictionaries. The article also stresses that research on (Byzantine) Greek vocabulary needs consideration of nonliterary sources too, especially epigraphy.
This chapter deals with the mention of gold, goldsmiths and
goldsmithing in Byzantine written sou... more This chapter deals with the mention of gold, goldsmiths and goldsmithing in Byzantine written sources, primarily, with the addition of archaeological results incorporated in the discussion. At the beginning, the connotation of gold and derivative terms in literary sources is mentioned. Hereafter, the question of the origin of Byzantine gold is discussed. It is not unlikely that, even in Byzantium, gold mines near Constantinople were still in use. At the end, professions and names are mentioned that played a role in Byzantium’s gold workmanship. Even though gold was scarce in Byzantium, the empire was able to keep its fame as a »golden realm«.
This volume comprises thirteen papers from the conference ‘New Research on Late Byzantine Goldsmi... more This volume comprises thirteen papers from the conference ‘New Research on Late Byzantine Goldsmiths‘ Works (13th to 15th Centuries)’, held in the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz in October 2019. The contributions primarily deal with the material culture of goldsmiths’ works, such as crosses, reliquary caskets, jewellery, enamel works, and precious stones, spanning the wide geographical area of Byzantium and many of its neighbours, from Russia via Trebizond and Serbia to Crete. Furthermore, written sources on Byzantine goldsmiths, their craft and the provenance of precious metals provide evidence for goldsmithing in Byzantium throughout its history.
With contributions by Andreas Rhoby, Paul Hetherington, Olga Shashina, Martin Dennert, Sabrina Schäfer, Anastasios Antonaras, Antje Steinert, Jessica Schmidt, Nikos Kontogiannis, Vana Orfanou, Holger Kempkens, Irina A. Sterligova, Vesna Bikić and Martina Horn.
The Psalms, in their Greek Septuagint translation, were a fundamental corpus of biblical poetry, ... more The Psalms, in their Greek Septuagint translation, were a fundamental corpus of biblical poetry, and as such were continuously referred to in Christian literature. They played a key role in the daily life and in the development of religious sensitivity of late antique and Byzantine people. The production of Psalm-related literature, notably exegetic, was impressively widespread. The Psalms, however, influenced other genres of religious literature as well, and their poetical nature remained an important feature that later authors were well aware of. In preparation of a volume on the reception of the Psalms in poetry from Late Antiquity and Byzantium, we invite scholars of all levels of experience to present a paper at a colloquium on this subject. Confirmed speakers are We welcome contributions on the following topics especially: • the appreciation of the Psalter's poetical nature in exegesis and in the biblical manuscript tradition (e.g. recognition, by patristic and Byzantine exegetes, of the presence or absence of poetical features); • rhetorical aspects of the Psalms as highlighted in late antique and Byzantine treatises; • the influence of the Psalms on Byzantine poetry (e.g. what was their role in the composition of eis heauton poems? How does self-expression in Christian poetry relate to the Psalms?); • the reception of the Psalms in hymnographic poetry; • the reception of the Psalter in specific genres of poetry, such as Byzantine catanyctic poetry; • the metrical metaphrases by ps-Apollinaris and Manuel Philes; • metrical paratexts on the Psalms. These examples are not exclusive and papers on other related topics are welcome. We invite proposals for 20-minute papers. Each paper will be followed by a reaction from a respondent, who will open the discussion with the audience. Contributors whose abstract is accepted will be asked to submit prior to the colloquium a rough draft of their full text. After the conference, they are expected to offer their reworked paper for inclusion (upon acceptance after peer-review) in a volume on the reception of the Psalms in Byzantine poetry. Please send a title and a short abstract (max. 300 words) of your paper to rachele.ricceri@ugent.be no later than May 31, 2019. Accepted speakers will be notified by the end of June 2019. For more information, please visit our website:
Dear reader,
Please note that this article is published with Brepols Publishers as a Gold Open A... more Dear reader, Please note that this article is published with Brepols Publishers as a Gold Open Access article under a Creative Commons CC 4.0: BY-NC license. The article is also freely available on the website of Brepols Publishers : https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/abs/10.1484/M.SBHC-EB.5.115586 under this same license.
Auswertung der Quellen zum "Alltagsleben" der byzantinischen Prinzessinnen im babenbergischen Öst... more Auswertung der Quellen zum "Alltagsleben" der byzantinischen Prinzessinnen im babenbergischen Österreich im 12. u. 13. Jh.
The article deals with the presence of Dogs and their various functions in Byzantium. They were m... more The article deals with the presence of Dogs and their various functions in Byzantium. They were mainly used a hunting dogs, shepherd dogs and watchdogs, but, interestingly enough, there is also one testimony which proves the existence of guide dogs for the blind. Moreover, some animals, such as the Maltese and other small breeds, spent their lives as lap dogs or show dogs. However, Byzantine sources also tell about cruelties visited upon dogs especially in times of crisis. The main sources about dogs in Byzantium are encomia and works which deal with their breeding, training and deseases.
Dear friends and colleagues,
It gives us great pleasure to inform you that the Lexikon zur byza... more Dear friends and colleagues,
It gives us great pleasure to inform you that the Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität (LBG) is now accessible online!
The online dissemination of the printed fascicles 1-6 of the LBG is the result of a collaboration between the LBG published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften) and the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae® (TLG®) at the University of California, Irvine.
The 49th Spring Symposium of the Society
for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies
INSCRIBING TEXT... more The 49th Spring Symposium of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies INSCRIBING TEXTS IN BYZANTIUM: CONTINUITIES AND TRANSFORMATIONS 18-20 March 2016, Exeter College, Oxford
In spite of the striking abundance of extant primary material – over 4000 Greek texts produced in the period between the sixth and fifteenth centuries – Byzantine Epigraphy remains largely uncharted territory, with a reputation for being elusive and esoteric that obstinately persists. References to inscriptions in our texts show how ubiquitous and deeply engrained the epigraphic habit was in Byzantine society, and underscore the significance of epigraphy as an auxiliary discipline. The growing interest in material culture, including inscriptions, has opened new avenues of research and led to various explorations in the field of epigraphy, but what is urgently needed is a synthetic approach that incorporates literacy, built environment, social and political contexts, and human agency. The SPBS Symposium 2016 has invited specialists in the field to examine diverse epigraphic material in order to trace individual epigraphic habits, and outline overall inscriptional traditions. In addition to the customary format of panel papers and shorter communications, the Symposium will organise a round table, whose participants will lead a debate on the topics presented in the panel papers, and discuss the methodological questions of collection, presentation and interpretation of Byzantine inscriptional material.
Metrical inscriptions (“epigrams”) have a long tradition in Greek culture that goes back to Antiq... more Metrical inscriptions (“epigrams”) have a long tradition in Greek culture that goes back to Antiquity. In the Byzantine period (4th-15th centuries AD), numerous epigrams were written that were applied to various surfaces (mosaics, frescoes, stones) and objects (metal, wood, textiles, etc.). These are primarily dedicatory and tomb epigrams and other verses with a religious content. As in many other areas, the tradition did not cease to exist at the end of the Byzantine Empire. The present incipitarium, which also serves as a checklist, impressively documents how numerous epigrams were written in the so-called post-Byzantine period after the year 1500. Many inscribed epigrams in churches and on objects such as icons even date to the 19th century. Following an introduction, the present publication offers a list of the beginnings of inscriptional post-Byzantine epigrams (PBEiÜ). It is a growing collection (a quarterly update is planned), which also serves to classify further evidence of already known epigrams and represents a contribution on the thematic focus “Byzantium and Beyond”.
This is the Chinese translation of the paper of Prof. Andreas Rhoby, "A short history of Byzantin... more This is the Chinese translation of the paper of Prof. Andreas Rhoby, "A short history of Byzantine Epigraphy", in Andreas Rhoby ed., Inscriptions in Byzantium and Beyond: Methods – Projects – Case Studies, Wien, 2015, pp. 17-32.
Programme of the Summer Programme in Byzantine Epigraphy, Istanbul, Koc University, ANAMED, Septe... more Programme of the Summer Programme in Byzantine Epigraphy, Istanbul, Koc University, ANAMED, September 3-9, 2018
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Books by Andreas Rhoby
The volume shows the manifold themes of Greek poetry in Late Antiquity. Pagan and Christian concepts merge in the works of Nonnus of Panopolis and in the “Ekphrasis” of John of Gaza, the poems of George of Pisidia are read against the background of late antique philosophy and the autobiographies of Gregory of Nazianzus as literary forms of expression. The ekphrastic narrative techniques of Quintus Smyrnaeus and the composition of characters in Colluthus are analyzed, and Lycophron is proved as another source of Nonnus’ “Dionysiaka”. The contributions also deal with mythological characters, cyclopes and elephants, and late antique epigrammatic poetry is contextualized in the cultural and literary environment of the time.
https://www.hiersemann.de/verschronik-9783777219028
The volume shows the manifold themes of Greek poetry in Late Antiquity. Pagan and Christian concepts merge in the works of Nonnus of Panopolis and in the “Ekphrasis” of John of Gaza, the poems of George of Pisidia are read against the background of late antique philosophy and the autobiographies of Gregory of Nazianzus as literary forms of expression. The ekphrastic narrative techniques of Quintus Smyrnaeus and the composition of characters in Colluthus are analyzed, and Lycophron is proved as another source of Nonnus’ “Dionysiaka”. The contributions also deal with mythological characters, cyclopes and elephants, and late antique epigrammatic poetry is contextualized in the cultural and literary environment of the time.
https://www.hiersemann.de/verschronik-9783777219028
goldsmithing in Byzantine written sources, primarily, with the
addition of archaeological results incorporated in the discussion.
At the beginning, the connotation of gold and derivative
terms in literary sources is mentioned. Hereafter, the question
of the origin of Byzantine gold is discussed. It is not unlikely
that, even in Byzantium, gold mines near Constantinople
were still in use. At the end, professions and names are mentioned
that played a role in Byzantium’s gold workmanship.
Even though gold was scarce in Byzantium, the empire was
able to keep its fame as a »golden realm«.
With contributions by Andreas Rhoby, Paul Hetherington, Olga Shashina, Martin Dennert, Sabrina Schäfer, Anastasios Antonaras, Antje Steinert, Jessica Schmidt, Nikos Kontogiannis, Vana Orfanou, Holger Kempkens, Irina A. Sterligova, Vesna Bikić and Martina Horn.
Please note that this article is published with Brepols Publishers as a Gold Open Access article under a Creative Commons CC 4.0: BY-NC license. The article is also freely available on the website of Brepols Publishers : https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/abs/10.1484/M.SBHC-EB.5.115586 under this same license.
It gives us great pleasure to inform you that the Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität (LBG) is now accessible online!
The online dissemination of the printed fascicles 1-6 of the LBG is the result of a collaboration between the LBG published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften) and the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae® (TLG®) at the University of California, Irvine.
The LBG is openly accessible online, independent of a TLG licence. Please, visit
http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/lbg
Further fascicles will be provided online three years after their printed publication.
Feel free to make extensive use and spread the word!
Erich Trapp and the team of the LBG
for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies
INSCRIBING TEXTS
IN BYZANTIUM:
CONTINUITIES AND TRANSFORMATIONS
18-20 March 2016, Exeter College, Oxford
In spite of the striking abundance of extant primary material – over 4000 Greek texts produced in the period between the sixth and fifteenth centuries – Byzantine Epigraphy remains largely uncharted territory, with a reputation for being elusive and esoteric that obstinately persists. References to inscriptions in our texts show how ubiquitous and deeply engrained the epigraphic habit was in Byzantine society, and underscore the significance of epigraphy as an auxiliary discipline. The growing interest in material culture, including inscriptions, has opened new avenues of research and led to various explorations in the field of epigraphy, but what is urgently needed is a synthetic approach that incorporates literacy, built environment, social and political contexts, and human agency. The SPBS Symposium 2016 has invited specialists in the field to examine diverse epigraphic material in order to trace individual epigraphic habits, and outline overall inscriptional traditions. In addition to the customary format of panel papers and shorter communications, the Symposium will organise a round table, whose participants will lead a debate on the topics presented in the panel papers, and discuss the methodological questions of collection, presentation and interpretation of Byzantine inscriptional material.