The Antiquities in Constructing Byzantine Identity: Literary Tradition versus Aesthetic Appreciation

Abstract

Byzantium inherited from the Late Roman Empire various beliefs regarding ancient monuments, especially statues. Superstitious beliefs were rooted in ancient Greek and Roman tradition: statues were assigned supernatural power to avert evil, they were inhabited by spirits and their destruction was considered an omen for future misfortunes. Such beliefs were maintained in Byzantine literature throughout the centuries and are particularly stressed in the Patria and related texts. Statues were collected by early Byzantine emperors in Constantinople to decorate their capital and stress the Roman political legacy and the continuity with Greek cultural tradition. In their works, Byzantine authors artfully used the theme of the statues to convey either a political message, namely the Roman and Greek identity of the Byzantines, or the hope of Constantinople’s salvation after 1204. In more personal texts, such as letters, aesthetic considerations are emphasized with a didactic and moralizing tone. While the literary tradition of each genre provided the Byzantines the model for approaching the statues, at the same time the cultural environment and the historical circumstances of each historical period offered a different orientation to their understanding of antique art.