A Companion to Byzantine Chronicles

Byzantine chronicles are a retelling of history, usually from the creation of the world, which transmit Byzantine historical truths and worldview. This volume brings to the fore the recent process of re-reading these texts, which were extremely popular in the Middle Ages.

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A Byzantine chronicle is a retelling of history, usually beginning with the creation of the world, written in simple language and enriched by colourful anecdotes or tantalizing details on political intrigues. Though extremely popular in the Middle Ages, these texts were long disregarded by scholars due to their historical unreliability and lack of originality. Now, however, they are increasingly appreciated for the insights they provide into Byzantine ideology and the complex interaction of reading and writing in Byzantium. This volume highlights and contributes to the radical re-evaluation of this long-neglected genre of medieval literature.



Contributors are: Raimondo Tocci, William Adler, Thomas M. Banchich, Albrecht Berger, Richard W. Burgess, John Burke, Réka Forrai, Christian Gastgeber, Martin Hinterberger, Marek Jankowiak, Ralph-Johannes Lilie, Athanasios Markopoulos, Mischa Meier, Federico Montinaro, Diether Roderich Reinsch, Fabian Schulz, Roger Scott, Paul Tuffin, Staffan Wahlgren, and Varvara Zharkaya.