Construction of the Text, Construction of the Past. Historical Knowledge Classical Myths and Ideology in a Medieval Comune (pisa, eleventh to twelfth centuries)

Abstract

Fascination for antiquity had different aspects in medieval Italian comuni. Medieval cities could claim a Trojan or a Greek origin; ancient stones and epigraphs were reused for the construction of churches or public buildings. Indeed, relics of ancient times were recombined to transfer the glory of the past into the spirit of a new age. This operation of rearrangement had its parallel in the construction of literary or historical texts. Antiquity stood before the Italian city-dwellers not just in the shape of colossal ruins, but also in the form of historical narratives that celebrated the glory of the Romans and the Greeks. Excerpts from these ancient narratives were reinserted in medieval texts to transmit the deeds of the classical heroes to the new urban elite. Perhaps the most interesting case is Pisa in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. In this important maritime city, Guido, most probably a deacon of the Cathedral, gave his compatriots a reconstruction of ancient deeds by compiling his Liber de v...