And to bring it all back together...

 A short fairytale:

Once upon a time, in 306, in an Empire far far away an Emperor by the name of Constantine, started one of the most magnificent and long lasting Empires called the Byzantium. He made his home a beautiful city that still stands today. Constantinople was staple of beauty and was the centre of culture for over a thousand years that the Empire lasted. All of the Empire's most precious literature was held there. The mix of cultures and nationalities makes for a very rich literature collection. Unfortunately of over a 1000 years of history, there is only about 2000-3000 volumes left, and with religion being such a huge part of the life in Byzantium, only about 300 consist of secular nature.

Byzantium kept growing and growing and hit its height of power in 550 with the rule of Justinian I. It consisted of what are today considered today 33 independent countries, those being: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Gibraltar, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City. And this particular story, about this particular Empire ends in 1453 with Constantine XI, with the fall of the Byzantium and the rise of the Ottoman Empire.

Byzantium in 550.

 Our main characters:

The two prevalent forces in the shaping of the Byzantine culture and literature were the Greeks and the Christians. Only the rich Greeks attended schools and so majority of the literature was written in Attic Greek, a scholarly and sophisticated language that the poor were not able to read. It was only mainly private documents and the popular literature that were written in the commonly used Greek of the time. As Christianity started to spread throughout the Byzantine Empire so did its literature. Theological writings were more and more popular and majority of the genres were affected.

11th Century Byzantine Gospel

The 5 genres:

Byzantium had five main genres into which all the literature was classified under.  And those five literary genres that were popular are historians and chroniclers (or annalists), encyclopaedists and essayists, secular poetry, ecclesiastical and theological literature and popular poetry.

Historians and chroniclers had two different styles of writing however, the two worked hand in hand as descriptors. Historians are scholarly based and write from the secular point of view and wrote based on facts. Chroniclers write for the general public and not all the facts can be verified to be true. It is written about the general public for the general public.

Encyclopaedists and essayists became more popular during the second half of the 9th century in Constantinople. It was mainly based on collection and sifting of manuscripts written up until then. However, when the 12th century rolled around, essayists started becoming more original in their revival of the Alexandrian type of rhetorical literature. 

Theological literature came in right at the beginning of the Byzantine Empire and quickly rose in the 4th century. With the spread of Christianity with the influences of the East, theological literature was prevalent during the establishing centuries of the Byzantium.

Secular poetry was moving away from theological theme. It was not religious as was common of the time. It was a recreation of the post-classic period, a type of poetry that included such things as romance, epigrams and satires.

At the beginning of 13th century, a new era of popular poetry began. The emotional and imaginative stories and poetry started submerging again after being suppressed for such a long period, rooting back from the Hellenistic period.


What the Byzantine Empire has left us:


Since the Byzantine Empire had just a vast mix of different cultures and influences, it has left a range of legacies that still resonate today. From the basics of Greek literature, to architecture to art and even the legal system. The staple of Byzantium, the city of Constantinople, is still standing today with a different name of Istanbul. 

Istanbul

Even in the 16th century there was a definite recognition and appreciation of what the Byzantine literature could teach us. Once Constantinople was under in a serious threat of being taken over, Princess Sophia Paleologue left Constantinople to marry the Russian Tsar and took with her the most precious of collections of her former Empire. With this collection she created her library and added to it over time. Her grandson, Ivan IV, or better known as Ivan the Terrible, took over this library and made it his most prised possession and kept it a secret. After his death this library, The Library of Gold, was lost and no matter how many people looked for it, it is yet to be found. 


To me, that says: A Challenge!



References:

Text: 

Wikipedia 2011, Byzantine Empire, Wikipedia, viewed on 25 April 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire 

Haldon, J 2002, Byzantium : a history, Tempus, Gloucestershire

Wikipedia 2011, Byzantine literature, Wikipedia, viewed on 09 May 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_literature

Herrin J. 2008, Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire, Penguin Group, Camberwell, VIC

 Dieterich, K. 190, Byzantine Literature, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert Appleton Company, New York. Viewed May 31, 2011, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03113a.htm

Adena L., 2008, The enduring legacy of Byzantine Empire, CLIO History Journal, Australian Capital Territory, viewed June 1 2011, http://cliojournal.wikispaces.com/The+Enduring+Legacy+of+Byzantium

Luxemag, Mysterious Library of Ivan the Terrible, Luxemag, viewed on June 1 2011, http://www.luxemag.org/art/library-ivan-the-terrible.html

 Pictures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LocationByzantineEmpire_550.png

 An 11th century Byzantine Gospel, viewed on 09 May 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LondonCanonTables4.JPG

 Istanbul, viewed on June 1 2011, http://www.worldcitypics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/istanbul_camii.jpg

Reflections

When given the option of choosing the topic for this blog, I straight away narrowed in on the Byzantium and its literature. I think that the Byzantine Empire is absolutely fascinating and given that it's part of my personal history, I thought it was a great choice. However, I did have doubts about just how much information I could find. Turns out it was somewhat justified. There is plenty of information out there on the Byzantine Empire itself, however not so much on the literature and the libraries. I have found the Internet to be my best friend during this search as there really aren't many books at all on the topic of literature. There are a lot of books on Byzantium and quite a few on the art, but none that I could find on literature. Unfortunate to say, I did find wikipedia the most effective tool. There was also the Catholic Encyclopaedia that was really good for the literature part. There are a couple of other online encyclopaedias that I found, however they needed subscription. I was sad to see that there wasn't much information on the "Byzantine Liberia" or "The Library of Gold". That would be a great topic to write on and explore. 

I have found the blogging experience pretty good. Blogs are a great and fun way to share information. In a professional sense, blogs are great way to inform the public on a topic or the ongoings of the business, however I think being a blog, it should be written in a more personal and informal way. After all it is a blog and it should be written in a more general language for a wider audience and more accessible language.

The legacy and the great treasure hunt

Over a thousand years of history couldn't but not have left a legacy. Byzantium was responsible for spread of Christianity throughout Europe, it left behind beautiful art and literature, helped established today's legal system. And can't forget the beautiful architecture that is still apparent today and the beautiful city of Constantinople, or as it is today know, Istanbul. 

Hagia Sophia

Istanbul

The Byzantine empire has also inspired such great poets like William Butler Yeats who wrote a poem called Sailing to Byzantium. Here's a little taste. Here's a hint: for complete poem, click on the title.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

Perhaps one of the most exciting legacies that the Byzantium has left behind is it's secret treasure. As the Constantinople was being taken over by the Ottomans, a decision was made to evacuate the most important and valuable literature. Princess Sophia, a niece of the latest emperor, was married off to Great Prince of Moscow, Ivan III and set up her own library with the literature that she brought with her, and over time accumulated other articles. By the time Ivan the Terrible started ruling Russia, the library, known as the Byzantine Liberia or the Library of Gold,  contained around 800 of the most precious and invaluable volumes. It was Ivan the Terrible most precious possession that he kept secret from everyone. It is often debated what the collection holds and how much it's worth today. Some estimate it to be over several billion dollars! And what has become of this library? Well no-one knows. It is still one of the great mysteries and many have tried to find it, but all failed.

References:

 Photos:

 Inside Hagia Sophia, viewed on June 1 2011, http://www.arthistoryspot.com/2010/01/hagia-sophia-in-constantinople-short-introduction/

 Istanbul, viewed on June 1 2011, http://www.worldcitypics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/istanbul_camii.jpg

Text: 

Adena L., 2008, The enduring legacy of Byzantine Empire, CLIO History Journal, Australian Capital Territory, viewed June 1 2011, http://cliojournal.wikispaces.com/The+Enduring+Legacy+of+Byzantium

William Butler Yeats, Sailing to Byzantium, The Literature Network, viewed June 1 2011, http://www.online-literature.com/yeats/781/

Luxemag, Mysterious Library of Ivan the Terrible, Luxemag, viewed on June 1 2011, http://www.luxemag.org/art/library-ivan-the-terrible.html

The five genres of Byzantium

As today, so in Byzantium, people were of many tastes and this was reflected throughout their literature. The five giants of the literary world were historians and chroniclers (or annalists), encyclopaedists and essayists, secular poetry, ecclesiastical and theological literature and popular poetry. 

Historians and annalists, while using two different styles work hand in hand as descriptors. Historians are scholarly based and from the secular point of view, whereas the annalists prefer the people's point of view and are of more popular belief. Historians works are based on fact and are not written in a biased manner of the history. In comparison, the annalists or the chroniclers, have written for the general public and not all the facts can be verified to be true. It is written about the general public and the society itself rather than great events of the past. 


Encyclopaedists and essayists became more and more popular during the second half of the 9th century in Constantinople. It was mainly based on collection and sifting of manuscripts written up until then. However, when the 12th century rolled around, essayists started becoming more original in their revival of the Alexandrian type of rhetorical literature.


As the name would suggest secular poetry was leaning away from theological theme. It was not religious as was common of the time. It was a recreation of the post-classic or Alexandrian period, a type of poetry that included such things as romance, epigrams and satires.

Theological literature came in right at the beginning of the Byzantine Empire and quickly rose in the 4th century. With the spread of Christianity with the influences of the East, theological literature was prevalent during the establishing centuries of the Byzantium.

An exerpt typical of the time translated into English:

Why thus faint-hearted?
Why veil ye your faces?
Lift up your hearts!
Christ is arisen!
Join in the dances,
And with us proclaim it:
The Lord is ascended,
Gleaming and gloried,
He who was born
Of the giver of light.
Cease then your mourning,
Rejoice in blessedness:
Springtime has come.
So bloom now, ye lilies,
Bloom and be fruitful!
Naught bringeth destruction.
Clap we our hands
And shout: Risen is He
Who helpeth the fallen ones
To rise again.


With the capture of Constantinople by the Latins at the beginning of 13th century, a new era of popular poetry began. The emotional and imaginative stories and poetry started submerging again after being suppressed for such a long period, rooting back from the Hellenistic period.

Reflections:

I found the material for this section by googling Byzantine literature and coming up with very few hits. The Catholic University had the most comprehensive information so I chose to use that. Trying to find examples however was very difficult. I wanted to some so other resources, but nothing. The literature is very old and most of it hasn't been translated into English, making it rather hard to find. 

References:

Dieterich, K. 190, Byzantine Literature, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert Appleton Company, New York. Viewed May 31, 2011, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03113a.htm

Byzantine Literature as a Novel

"...The merchants' booths facing each other [were] set up in parallel rows...and at various points at an angle to the rows, other booths were set up...I couldn't help but compare it to the centipede with the very long body showing innumerable little feet under its belly...There were all kinds of men's and women's clothes, everything that comes from Boeotia and the Peloponnese, from Italy and Greece, Phoenicia, Egypt, Spain and the Pillars of Hercules, where the finest altar clothes are made..." - Anon, 12th century

Now that we have been transported back into the wondrous world of Byzantium, ruled mainly by the Greeks we shall borrow their theatrics and introduce the main characters. Featuring:

-The Greeks

-The Christians

As was mentioned earlier, the Greeks had the biggest part to play in the shaping of the language, literature and culture and therefore are our protagonists. Majority of the works were of the religious base, and the struggle between the ancient paganism and the more modern Christianity constantly came up. And so we come to our antagonists, the Christians. 

As the Empire rose and grew more powerful, literature spread and flailed its vast, however limited in genre, pages across its peoples. Since education was mainly for those of a higher class and not for those of a poorer stature, the Attic Greek, the more scholarly and more sophisticated language, prevailed throughout the whole timeline of the Byzantine Empire and sadly, only in few literary remnants, often private documents and popular literature, do we find the lowly and commonly spoken variant of the Greek language. This was not uncommon as the dualism between the two predates the Byzantium.

11th Century Byzantine Gospel

Greco-Oriental Christianity had its birth at the heart of Alexandria as the Greek philosophies and the Jewish religion fused together. As more works started coming up, the more the Christian writings spread through the Empire. 

The two dominant styles co-existed together in writing, culture and lived together as neighbours in the everyday Byzantium.

As our saga continues, we will be exploring the riches that the Greeks have left behind to perhaps gain a better understanding of what a day in a life of a Byzantine would have been like.

Reflections:

In this post I wanted to explore who the main contributors to the literature were. As it happens there is some information out there on it, but not overly much. As the Greeks were such huge contributors, a lot of the Byzantine era literature is classified under the Greek literature and there it's hard to distinguish which was Byzantine and which was not. Once again, trusty old Internet lent a hand and a lot of the research was done through google. I found a couple of interesting links too that will be included in the latter posts so just a general google search did come in handy.

References:

Excerpt 

Anonymous, Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire, pg. 250, Penguin Group, Camberwell, VIC

Picture

An 11th century Byzantine Gospel, viewed on 09 May 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LondonCanonTables4.JPG

Text

Wikipedia 2011, Byzantine literature, Wikipedia, viewed on 09 May 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_literature

Herrin J. 2008, Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire, Penguin Group, Camberwell, VIC

History as we guess it...

History is very tricky and the first thing we have to remember is that history is written by the victors. And due to this we can never be sure what took place when, especially when we've set our time machines so far back.

To dramatically ease you into the history of such violence that brought about such intricate art and literature, please view the following clip:

Battle for survival

As all histories of empires start, this too started with the fall of one great empire and the rise of another from greed and bloodlust. It started with the fall of the great Roman Empire and began with the Emperor called Constantine and beautiful city called the Constantinopolis or Constantinople. Emperor Constantine, like all the before him and many after him, in his vanity had the city called after him, "City of Constantinople". He ruled this new empire from 306-337, and after its establishment it went on to last for a 1000 years. 

As the Empire grew, it engulfed more and more countries and within its belly were many different peoples and its traditions, languages and cultures. This is why it's hard to determine just exactly who the Byzantines were. However, one of the strongest and most populated peoples were Greeks and they're often attributed as the contributors to the Byzantine culture, especially its religion, language and literature. Since the hold of religion was so great, majority of the literary works are of religious origin.  Of the approximately 2000-3000 volumes of Byzantine literature that survive, only just over 300 consist of secular poetry, history, science and pseudo-science. Byzantine literature is often divided into 5 groups: historians and analysts, encyclopaedists and essayists, and writers of secular poetry, ecclesiastical and theological literature, and popular poetry.

Imagine the mayhem and confusion and the fight for cultural survival, when at the height of its power, under the rule of Justinian I in 550, the Empire reached its geographical limit. Encompassing what are now 33 separate countries, 33 separate languages, 33 separate cultures, the Empire was all powerful. The Greeks, the Romans, the Slavs, the Arabs all mixed in as one. The Byzantine Empire used to be what are countries now known as: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Gibraltar, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City.

The far reaching hands of the Byzantine Empire at its most powerful in 550.

After continuous wars and attacks and loss of soldiers from all sides, the great Byzantine Empire could not hold on any longer. And so, under the last Emperor, Constantine XI, and the under the attack of the new emerging Ottoman Empire, on 29 May 1453, Byzantine Empire succumbed under its last effort and breath to save itself. And so, as all great empires rise and fall, the Byzantine Empire fell, and the Ottoman Empire rose from its ashes.

Reflection:

This week I didn't really have that much trouble finding information on just the basic history of the Byzantine Empire. I searched it through google and found plenty of information. I also searched my library for books for the Byzantine Empire and found a couple. I wanted to include something to stimulate the visual and audio receptors so I found a YouTube clip that fit that. The only trouble I had was probably just narrowing down the exact date the Empire arose, since that's rather tricky to pinpoint it exactly.

References:

Video:

BYZANTINE EMPIRE - [476 AD - 1453 AD], viewed on 25 April 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh7FaVs_5KU

Image:

Location of Byzantine Empire 550, viewed on 30 March 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LocationByzantineEmpire_550.png

 Text: 

Wikipedia 2011, Byzantine Empire, Wikipedia, viewed on 25 April 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire 

Haldon, J 2002, Byzantium : a history, Tempus, Gloucestershire

Strap into your seats...

... and set your time machines to 305 A.D.

You've landed in a strange land. The language foreign and culture exotic. You thirst for knowledge. Where do you go? The greatest resource centre on Earth. The library...

In this blog we shall be looking at this great places of (in my opinion) worship, the libraries. The greatest places of knowledge. If history has taught us anything, it is that as humans, we are extremely fascinating. With the raises and falls of great empires over the centuries, I have chosen one of the greatest. The Byzantine Empire and what its libraries have to show us.

As the Byzantine Empire was a unity of many cultures across what is now Europe, Asia and Africa, it is absolutely fascinating. The main things we will be looking at are:

- Brief history of the Empire, the rise and the fall, the dominant characters and cultures and we'll also have a look at the vast reach of its hands over the many countries (33 distinct countries today to be more specific) it engulfed.
- Characteristics of the literature held and preserved
- Couple of posts on the genres and a an example of Byzantine poetry
- Legacy of the Byzantine Empire
- Conclusion