Marko Drašković, Scandinavian Mercenaries in the Komnenian Byzantium (M.A. finished and to be defended soon), University of Belgrade. Supervisor: Professor Ljubomir Maksimović.
Laura Franco, A Study of the Metaphrastic Process: the case of the unpublished Passio of St James the Persian (BHG 773), Passio of St Plato (BHG 1551-1552), and Vita of St Hilarion (BHG 755) by Symeon Metaphrastes
Hellenic Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London.
Co-supervisors: † Julian Chrysostomides and Charalambos Dendrinos
The re-working of early hagiographical texts by Symeon Metaphrastes in the tenth century marks a turning point in the Byzantine hagiographical tradition as the Metaphrastic Menologion became the established corpus of hagiographical texts used in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. The thesis examines the process of the re-writing of earlier material by Symeon, on the basis of an annotated edition of the metaphrastic Passio of St James the Persian, the Passio of Plato, and the Vita of St Hilarion, exploring further the methodology he and his team used in the re-working of these texts, by comparing them with the surviving premetaphrastic sources. The thesis is divided into two Parts (I-II). Part I comprises an Introduction, and three chapters (I-III). The Introduction presents the aims and scope of the thesis, as well as the material used and the methodology employed, and briefly examines the MetaphrasticMenologionin the light of previous research, focusing on questions concerning its authorship and the manuscript tradition. Chapter I is devoted to a description of the Mss used in the present edition, followed by a palaeographical examination of the texts, before the relations of the Mss is established. This section closes with a note on the conventions and sigla adopted in the edition. Chapter II contains an edition of the three aforementioned texts, accompanied by an apparatus fontium and apparatus criticus. Chapter III is a commentary elucidating the three texts. Part II (Chapter IV) examines the metaphrastic process on the basis of a detailed comparison of the three texts edited in the thesis with their extant premetaphrastic sources in terms of historical information, development of the plot, and a textual analysis including structure, syntax, vocabulary and style (Sections A-C). The Conclusions summarise the findings of the thesis in an attempt to give an assessment of the method and techniques used in the metaphrastic process and suggests areas for further research. The thesis closes with full bibliography and Plates with facsimiles of selected folios of Mss cited.
Christos Karydis, The Orthodox Christian Sakkos. Ecclesiastical Garments dating to the 15th- 20th c. from the Holy Mountain of Athos. Collection Survey, Scientific Analysis & Preventive Conservation. University of Lincoln, Conservation Department, July 2009.
Supervisors: Sue Thomas, John Lord, Judy McGurry
This academic thesis focuses on the research findings from a collection survey of Euro-Mediterranean post-Byzantine ecclesiastical garments, known as sakkoi, from the Holy Mountain of Athos located in Chalkidiki, Greece. According to the World Heritage Committee, Mount Athos is considered to be of an outstanding universal value, as it is the most important monastic centre of the Christian Orthodox Church.
The sakkos appeared to be an evolution of the Greek chiton (10th – 8th BC) to the Roman dalmatic (180- 192 AD). Later on, used as an imperial Byzantine garment, which by the 11th-12th century had been adopted by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople to indicate his status and privilege. It was only after the fall of Constantinople, that this was extended to all the Bishops of the Orthodox Church.
The thesis begins with a discussion of the nomenclature, while it addresses the issue prevalent in Byzantine and post-Byzantine research, as to the historical provenance of this liturgical garment. Different approaches ranging from art historic and semiotic research to scientific examination using sophisticated analytical techniques are applied, in order to introduce a cultural, historical and technological context of the garments.
The Mount Athos sakkoi, never previously researched, date from the end of the 15th to the 20th century and they are garments worn by Patriarchs, Bishops, and Emperors. The survey examines fifty two sakkoi from fourteen monasteries, identifying constructional and stylistic details, material components using analytical techniques (Optical Microscopy, HPLC and SEM-EDS) and technological evidence such as fibres, dyes, metal threads and weaving techniques, whilst analysing the sources of degradation and decay. This research demonstrates not only the scope of a conservation collection survey methodology for elucidating new information about specific items but also it’s potential to add to the knowledge relating to the history, development and use of such garments. An effort to combine the analytical results with the available stylistic historical information and the conclusions obtained by analyzing the cut and construction of the tested garments was also performed.
A major purpose of the study was to enable intellectual access to this inaccessible collection and the mechanism for disseminating this information. The Athonian garments had not been previously documented and the first stage of this research was to design pro forma to record all details related to materials, manufacture and condition. This record includes detailed information regarding: materials; technological and constructional details; alterations and repairs during use; previous restorations and condition assessment. This, together with systematic illustrative material, in the form of drawings, photographs and microphotographs, has been designed to contribute to the preservation of these artefacts, serving also as a surrogate to reduce the need for future handling. Moreover, it facilitates access for female researchers to this invaluable and unique collection.
Major attention was also drawn on new preventive conservation approaches that can be adopted to preserve the items as a ‘living’ collection, including guidelines for the continuation of production of those garments. The spiritual dimension of these artefacts is thus discussed within the framework of conservation ethics.
The difficulties for the achievement of the aims and objectives of the current investigation were significant. Among these, the lack of published literature together with the un-catalogued archives led to a plethora of problems. Of course, the oral sources coming form the sacristans were of high importance since they were the ones offering valuable information.
This research offers for the very first time, a complete assemblage of knowledge regarding the production, synthesis, condition and display of the ecclesiastical Athonian sakkoi.
Rafal Korczak, Obraz Turkow Osmanskich w kronikach bizantynskich (The Image of Osmanlis in the Byzantine Chronicles),
University of Lodz
Supervisor: Professor Małgorzata Dąbrowska
Margaret Purdie, An Account by John Cananus of the Siege of Constantinople in 1422 (introduction, translation, commentary).
University of Western Australia
Supervisor: Professor John Melville-Jones.
Available on-line. (A single copy of this thesis may be downloaded).
Renaud Rochette, Le ciel et le sang. Le pouvoir impérial à Byzance à l’époque des Paléologues (1261-1453)
The study is an attempt to analyse the imperial power in the late Byzantine without taking the collapse of the Empire in 1453 in consideration. Its object is to understand the principles and the workings of the imperial power during the last two centuries of the Empire.
The Palaiologoi combine references to various traditions and a few changes. They manage to unite the Constantinian legitimacy with the key role of the family ties. The Palaiologoi’s government, although they deny it, stems from the work of the Laskaris after 1204: after the destruction of the Byzantine State’s frame, they must rebuild the Empire from scratch and introduce many changes while keeping the memory of the Empire heyday. Not a decay, not a decline, the imperial power reaches a new stage after a drastic change during the XIIIth century.
This thesis can be consulted in the Centre de Recherches d’Histoire et Civilisation Byzantines et du Proche Orient médiéval in the Sorbonne.
Eugenia Russell, Encomia to St Demetrius in Late Byzantine Thessalonica.
Royal Holloway, University of London PhD, awarded March 2009
Supervisor: Dr Jonathan Harris
Brian Salas, Jerash in the 7th Century: How did the Arab Conquest Transform the Cultural Landscape of the Byzantine City?
MA LABS, King’s College London
Situated in modern day Jordan, the ruins of the ancient city of Gerasa (Jerash) have been a source of fascination for scholars and the general public alike due to the ruins’ excellent state of preservation. As a result, Jerash has become one of the most excavated cities in the Trans-Jordan, yet the Islamic presence in the city has been largely misunderstood and underrepresented. Until the past few decades it was believed that the arrival of Islam was a tumultuous event that ushered in decline and the deterioration of the classical Roman city structure. This paper discusses the consequences of the 7th century Arab conquests and argues that this regime change did not trigger these wide-sweeping transformations in the Trans-Jordan as postulated by early 20th century historians. Bringing together various aspects of the city’s archaeological remains, this paper demonstrates how economic conditions and changing social mores gradually evolved the 2nd century classical city into the crowded medieval-looking city of the 6th century, all while the city was still in Byzantine hands. In addition, this paper discusses the Umayyad investment in Jerash after the conquests that resulted in the construction of a recently discovered mosque as well as the revitalization of the surrounding marketplaces. These brought benefits to both the Christian and Muslim residents of the city not seen since the mid-6th century. Through this analysis of Jerash up to its decline in the mid-8th century, the city is placed into the context of the wider region in terms of the trends in Islamic-Byzantine relations that is illustrates.
Mike Saxby, Transcendent Power: Equestrian Iconography on Coins and Other Media in Antiquity to AD 705
MA, University of Birmingham.
From earliest times the horse and its rider have symbolised strength, nobility and power, in both practical and cultural terms. The symbol of the horse and rider was adopted early both on coinage and other media, such as rock reliefs, votive tablets, jewels, amulets, vases, and ivories. The horse and rider image signifies deliverance, help, and the triumph of good over evil.
This study examines the use of equestrian iconography on ancient Greek, Roman Republican, Roman Imperial, and early Byzantine coins, until its disappearance from these last in AD 705. The coins have been drawn from the collections of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, the British Museum, and a small number from published sources. Throughout, the horse and rider image on coins is examined in relation to portrayals in other media, particularly those of cults such as the Dioscuri, and the Thracian Hero.
It was found that images of horses, and then of horse and rider, appeared early on coins in ancient Greece, and then spread throughout the Roman world; in effect from Spain to India. The image of the horse and rider on coins became militarised and was marked by battle portrayals, particularly in the Roman Imperial period. Attention is drawn to previously underestimated aspects of the coinage of Constantius II, in particular the ‘falling horseman’ type. Constantius II also introduced the facing military portrait, which became an important type on early Byzantine coinage, while reducing the size of the equestrian image.
The horse and rider appeared also on amulets, whose use was condemned by Constantius II; and by church fathers such as John Chrysostom. The effect of such condemnation on the decreasing use of this image on Byzantine coins is considered. The image was abandoned completely in AD 705. Reasons for this are identified, and in particular the Byzantine view of the power of God. Avenues for further work are outlined.
Christos Triantafyllopoulos, An annotated critical edition of the treatise Against the Errors of the Latins by Makarios, Metropolitan of Ankyra (1397-1405), 2 vols.
Hellenic Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London.
Co-supervisors: † Julian Chrysostomides and Charalambos Dendrinos
The thesis is an annotated critical edition of the Byzantine theologian Makarios Metropolitan of Ankyra’s treatise Against the Errors of the Latins. It comprises an Introduction, Critical Text and a Commentary. The Introduction is divided into two Parts (I-II). Part I gives biographical information on the author, concentrating on Makarios’ attitude towards the Latinophile circles in Constantinople prior to his journey to Western Europe (1399-1403) as member of Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus’ (1391-1425) entourage and his role in the controversy over the canonical dispute involving Patriarch Matthew I (1397-1410) on his return from Europe, which resulted in the Emperor’s active intervention, which led to Makarios’ deposition (1405), excommunication and exile (1409). This section is followed by (a) an examination of the evidence concerning the structure, the addressees, and the circumstances of the composition of the lengthy treatise, and (b) an analysis of the arguments put forward by Makarios to refute the most important points of divergence between the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic theologians concerning doctrinal and ecclesiological issues as well as liturgical practices and customs. Part II is devoted to the manuscript tradition. The six extant Mss (dated or datable between the fifteenth and seventeenth century) and the editio princeps by Dositheos Patriarch of Jerusalem (Jassi, 1692-94) are described and studied codicologically and palaeographically, followed by an examination of their relation and a reconstruction of the stemma codicum. A brief note on the conventions adopted in the present edition and a list of abbreviations and signs used in the apparatus precedes the edition of the text, together with a list of the original headings of the 120 chapters of the treatise to facilitate the reader in following the author’s argumentation. The Critical Text is accompanied by an apparatus fontium and an apparatus criticus. A Commentary, including summaries of the chapters of the treatise in the form of headings, further elucidates the text. The thesis closes with full bibliography and facsimiles of selected folios of the extant Mss.
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