Byzantine Turns in Modern Greek Thought and Historiography, 1767-1874

Abstract

<p>This article examines representations of Byzantium in Modern Greek historical<br />thought, from the first translation (1767) of the Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae to<br />the publication of Konstantinos Paparrigopoulos’ complete Ἱστορία τοῦ Ἑλληνικού Ἔθνους<br />[History of the Greek nation (1860-1874)]. In doing so, it reassesses conventions, especially<br />prevalent in English-language works, regarding the range and complexity of endeavors in<br />this vein. Developments in European thought are used throughout as a vantage point, as<br />they represent a contingency of great importance for any assessment of Greek attitudes<br />toward the past. However, these influences did not always point in one direction; a factor<br />which, in tandem with local generational and ideological divisions, helps to explain the<br />diverse perspectives on Byzantium in Greek works from the period under review.</p>