From Baghdad to Antioch and Constantinople: Ibn Buṭlān and the Byzantines

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the Byzantine network of the famous physician and theologian Ibn Buṭlān who left Baghdad for Antioch and Constantinople in the mid-11th-century. His contacts included Patriarchs Michael Keroularios and Peter III, Michael Psellos and Symeon Seth. Ibn Buṭlān’s monastic vocation raises the question of his link with Nikon of the Black Mountain. They probably crossed paths in the region of Antioch. Both developed ties with local people and institutions and integrated into the monastic customs of the area.