Byzantine Style Religion And Civilization

A volume of cutting-edge essays written in honour of renowned Byzantinist Sir Steven Runciman.

Covers 11 centuries from the earliest non figurative art to the jewelled mosiacs that profoundly expressed a concept of light as the revelation of God's truth to the great church frescos icons and manuscripts defining the dieal of Byzantine art to increase the understanding of the divine beyond the limits of the humna mind.

These seven chapters, originally given as lectures honoring the fiftieth anniversary of Dumbarton Oaks, cover a wide range of topics, from the relationship of Byzantium with its Islamic, Slavic, and Western European neighbors to the modern reception of Byzantine art.

Deno John Geanakoplos here offers a prodigious collection of source materials on the Byzantine church, society, and civilization (many translated for the first time into English), arranged chronologically and topically, and knit together with an analytical historical commentary. His selections from Byzantine writers as well as from more obscure documents and chronicles in Latin, Arabic, Slavic, Italian, Armenian, and French reflect all the diversity of Byzantine life--the military tactics of the long-invincible cataphract cavalry and the warships armed with Greek fire, the mysticism of Hesychast monks, the duties of imperial officers, the activities of daily life from the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia to the marketplaces, baths, and brothels. Geanakoplos not only covers the traditional areas of political, ecclesiastical, socioeconomic, administrative, and military life, but also provides a vivid picture of Byzantine culture--education, philosophy, literature, theology, medicine, and science. Of particular interest are the insights into the empire's relations with the Latin West, the Slavs, the Arabs, the Turks, and other neighboring peoples. Byzantium is much more than a sourcebook. The running commentary reflects the most recent scholarly research in Byzantine studies and places each translated source in its precise historical context. Through the use of both primary sources and commentary, Geanakoplos has represented in all its richness and complexity one of the world's great civilizations. There is no comparable book on Byzantine history and civilization in any language.

This book examines the many ways Byzantines lived with their trees. It takes seriously theological and hagiographic tree engagement as expressions of that culture’s deep involvement—and even fascination—with the arboreal. These pages tap into the current attention paid to plants in a wide range of scholarship, an attention that involves the philosophy of plant life as well as scientific discoveries of how communicative trees may be, and how they defend themselves. Considering writings on and images of trees from Late Antiquity and medieval Byzantium sympathetically, the book argues for an arboreal imagination at the root of human aspirations to know and draw close to the divine.

Growing on the heels of the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire was in some ways a continuation of its predecessor, extending its history for another 1,000 years. With a new capital at Constantinople, however, it also had a distinctly Eastern character of its own. Readers are transported to Byzantium in this absorbing volume, which recounts the history of this brilliant and articulate civilization as well as the many cultural and architectural achievements it spawned before falling to the Ottomans in 1453. Seminal events are covered in depth in the text and also highlighted in a timeline.

The year 1204, when Byzantium was conquered by the participants of the Fourth Crusade, marks a major and violent change on several levels, including politics and the economy, society and religion, as well as art and culture. The once powerful empire experienced both the humiliation of foreign occupation and its political subjugation. After its re-establishment in 1261, Byzantium had become a shrunken state, surrounded by aggressive enemies, while a number of its vital areas, such as Crete and Cyprus, together with the Aegean and Ionian islands, remained under foreign rule. These changes influenced not only the artistic output but the everyday life of the Byzantines as well. New ideas, new preferences, and new techniques are attested in architecture, painting, sculpture, and minor arts, all of which developed a new dynamic. According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 535 - c. 475 B.C.), whose aphorism Πάντα ῥεῖ, i.e. everything flows, is highlighted in the title of this collective volume, change is the fundamental essence of the universe. The book aims to provide an up-to-date, well-rounded, and balanced overview of the long thirteenth century, by examining aspects of the artistic and cultural transformations created and developed within the new framework of co-existence among Byzantines, Latins, Slavs, and Ottomans.

The foundation of Constantinople -- Historical outline -- The imperial constitution and the reign of law -- The administration -- Religion and the church -- The army: the navy: the diplomatic service -- Commerce -- Town and country life -- Education and learning -- Byzantine learning -- Byzantine literature -- Byzantine art -- Byzantium and the neighbouring world.