Constantine Manasses Research Articles

Recycling and adapting Constantine Manasses’ Aristandros and Kallithea in the Palaiologan Chapters in Political Verse

The Chapters in Political Verse is a collection of one hundred paraenetic chapters focusing on vices and virtues, transmitted in the Par.gr. 2750A and the Vat.gr. 1898 (fourteenth century) and containing fragments of the lost novel Aristandros and Kallithea by Constantine Manasses (twelfth century). This article offers a discussion on the authorship and audience of the Chapters (better known under the title Moral Poem and attributed to Manasses), arguing that it belongs firmly in the Palaiologan period and was not composed by Manasses. It pays particular attention to the way in which the anonymous author worked with the Manassean hypotext.

N. + N.] compounds in Medieval Greek : Constantine Manasses's Synopsis Chronike as a case study

This paper attempts to provide a descriptive analysis of the newly coined [Ν. + Ν.] compound lexemes in Constantine Manasses's Synopsis Chronike (12th cent.) with a view to tracing the innovations and similarities to the Ancient Greek compound system. First, it provides a brief outline of the main types of Greek compounds according to the underlying syntactic relations between the immediate constituents, referring to the related notion of 'syntagma' (Section 1). Then, it deals with the phonological and morphosyntactic criteria that distinguish compounds from syntactic groups (Section 2). The subsequent section addresses the stress patterns of compounds (Section 3). The final section gives a description of the compounds based on i. the morphemic status of the immediate constituents, namely whether they are free or bound elements, ii. the linear order of the determinatum (dm) and determinant (dt) inside the combination, and iii. the lexical class of the compound as a whole, and equally the class of the compound components (Section 4).

The Bronze Horseman of Justinian in Constantinople: The Cross-Cultural Biography of a Mediterranean Monument

The Bronze Horseman of Justinian in Constantinople: The Cross-Cultural Biography of a Mediterranean Monument

The Historicity of the Battle of Mantzikert in Verse Narrative

This paper deals with the Saljūqnāma of the Ottoman scholar Ahmed ibn Mahmud. It focuses on the two unexploited poems inserted into his Mantzikert account, and juxtaposes them with the world chronicles in verse that have been written by Constantine Manasses and Ehpraim of Ainos. The three writers recount the same event from different viewpoints. Ephraim absolves Diogenes from any responsibility, while Manasses seeks the reasons for the defeat in battle in his severe attitude. For Ahmed, the Seljuk victory came exclusively from God’s hands which were long enough to reach and protect the pious sultan with his warriors.

Late Byzantium Reconsidered: The Arts of the Palaiologan Era in the Mediterranean

<i>Late Byzantium Reconsidered: The Arts of the Palaiologan Era in the Mediterranean</i>

Хроника Константина Манассии: перевод А. Д. Кантемира и древнеславянский перевод

Хроника Константина Манассии: перевод А. Д. Кантемира и древнеславянский перевод

The Arabs in the Chronicle of Constantine Manasses

This paper looks into the piece by Constantine Manasses considering how it depicts the Arabs. It appears Manasses saw the Arabs primarily as bloody and cruel plunderers who invaded the Byzantine lands. Indeed, they won some of the fights against the Byzantines but eventually had to accept their superiority and concede defeat. It should also be noted that Constantine Manasses did not bring up religious themes when referring to the Arabs.

Κωμική Λογοτεχνία και γέλιο τον 12ο αι. Η περίπτωση του Κωνσταντίνου Μανασσή

Comic Literature and laughter in 12 th century: The case of Constantine Manasses SUMMARY The intriguing literary production of the 12th century comprises among others satires, parodies and works that include comic elements. This is due to several reasons, such as the cultural continuum of the past two centuries, the vivid interest of the literati in Aristophanes and Lucian, and the social placing of authors within the highly competitive society of the era. Within this framework, learned men of the Capital often turn to the genres (Lucianic dialogues, ψόγοι and the techniques (offensive language, literary metaphors) of the ancient comic literature and the rhetoric, in order to attack, mock or degrade certain individuals (rival grammarians, oppressive patrons) or specific groups that represent the “Other” (rustics, “Latins”). Occasionally, the reaction of laughter escorts the intention of the authors to ridicule their targets. The present study takes into consideration the abovementioned frame and focuses on the comic elements that are to be traced in the work of orator and poet Constantine Manasses. Essentially, Manasses’ employ of the comic doesn’t deviate from the general practice of his contemporaries, as the author displays the same sense of superiority against other learned men, while showcasing a sentiment of aversion to people outside the capital. However, his attitude is considerably softer in comparison to other authors of this period, whereas his works are surprisingly devoid of any direct attack against learned competitors. In addition, laughter in Manasses, when it occurs, adds a lighthearted tone and doesn’t seem to conceal an intention for rebuke or stinging criticism. The possible reasons for Manasses’ stand are explored in this paper.

Some observations on Constantine Manasses’ compound epithets

Несколько замечаний о сложных эпитетах у Константина Манассии - Institutional repository of Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N.Yeltsin

Thou shall not bear false witness against: Manuel Komnenos and Stefan Nemanja in the works of the 12th century Byzantine rhetoricians

First, the paper tries to establish a meaning of the concept of falsehood and the deriving notions. There are references to understanding of falsehood in Christianity as the foundation of the European civilization i.e. of the modern and contemporary philosophy. And while Christianity makes a clear cut distinction between falsehood and truthfulness, philosophy renders this distinction relative and meaningless (Schopenhauer). Further on, the paper portrays a relationship between Manuel Komnenos and Stefan Nemanja as given in the texts of Constantine Manasses and Eustace of Salonika. Both of them celebrate Manuel up to a point where they compare him with God. On the other hand, Nemanja is attributed epithets related to Satan. Contrary to that, when writing his father's biography, Stefan the First Crowned portrays the Emperor Manuel in good light. The consequences of the Emperor's conquests soon disappear when the Empire ceases to exist, while the Grand Prince's feats - the territorial expansion, winning independence and founding Hilandar remain. In the end, Nemanja becomes a saint, while Manuel does not. The final conclusion is that a falsehood uttered by the powerful and dominant does not last forever.

Constantin Manassès, La description d’un petit homme. Introduction, texte, traduction et commentaires

Constantine Manasses, author of the twelfth century known above all as historian, produced a considerable number of texts that included extensive and skilful ekphrastic discourse, but he also composed five independent ekphraseis. In different manners and to varying extent, all these texts reflect the learned environment in which Manasses was active as teacher and thetorician, that ist, the imperial milieu of Komnenian Constantinople. The aim of this article is to present a new edition and translation of one of the independent ekphraseis, the Description of a Little Man, and to offer a thorough discussion of its literary and sociocultural significance. This ekphrasis stands out as regards the curiosity of its motif: a dwarf, originally from Chios, spending time in Constantinople and living at the imperial palace in order to entertain the court. The present article includes an edition of the Greek text, a translation with notes and a detailed introduction on the rhetorical and `scientific` tradition that precedes and informs this text, interpreted in relation to the Constantinopolitan environment of Manasses and his peers.

John Malalas and the Origins of the Allegorical and Novelistic Traditions of the Trojan War in Byzantium

In the sixth century, the Byzantine chronicler John Malalas composed a history of the world from the Biblical story of creation to the author’s own day. The largest narrative unit within this Chronicle was a retelling of the Trojan War. For the most part, Malalas narrated his account within the generic constraints of traditional Byzantine historiography. He also, however, adopted styles from other more literary genres: the allegory and the novel. He thus introduced into the Byzantine tradition of the Trojan War new modes of narration which would be more fully developed by subsequent authors. With Malalas as his source, the twelfth-century grammarian John Tzetzes, for instance, wrote his Allegories of the Iliad, which rendered the story entirely as allegory, while Tzetzes’ contemporary Constantine Manasses and the later anonymous author of The Byzantine Iliad narrated the Trojan War as a novel or medieval romance. Comparing the later works to their sources and examining the contexts in which they were produced demonstrates how the mutability of genre and aesthetics made the Trojan War a subject that could be continuously reshaped to suit the ideology of the times.

Racing with rhetoric: a Byzantine ekphrasis of a chariot race

Michael Hagiotheodorites’ poem describing a chariot race is usually dismissed as an imitation of the earlier text composed by Christopher of Mytilene. Such an approach ignores the poetical and rhetorical qualities of Hagiotheodorites’ work, who, in the introduction, skilfully connected the rhetorical framework with the content. The poem is addressed to an unnamed addressee and a definite identification is not possible. However, certain similarities between this text and the works of Constantine Manasses allow a hypothesis that Manasses might have been the recipient of Hagiotheodorites’ letter-poem

Παρατηρήσεις στο «Οδοιπορικόν» του Κωνσταντίνου Μανασσή.

Normal 0 false false false EL X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Κανονικός πίνακας"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} SOME OBSERVATIONS ON CONSTANTINE MANASSES' ITINERARY. Τ HE MOTIFS OF THE TEMPEST AND THE DRAUGHT The purpose of this paper is to present and examine two key-motifs - that of the tempest and the drought-in Constantine Manasses’ Itinerary -a 12 th century poem reciting the narrator’s dreadful experiences during his trip to Palestine, on an official mission by emperor Manuel Komnenos In the four chapters of the poem, these two motifs are treated in a literate, as well as a figurative way (as far as the tempest is concerned, a topos in the 12 th century literature), in order to convey the narrator’s own misfortunes and woes, including the two illnesses he suffered from, while residing in Tyros and Cyprus, respectively. Furthermore, the presence and the combination of the aforementioned motifs hold a significant position in the macrostructure of the Itinerary . Among other things, the study of the way Manasses uses these motifs intents to highlight the poet’s skilful art.

Four Byzantine Novels by Elizabeth Jeffreys, trans. (review)

This wonderful book presents for the first time to a modern readership four important yet seldom known novels, dating back to twelfth-century Constantinople: Theodore Prodromos’s Rhodanthe and Dosikles, Eumathios Makrembolites’s Hysmine and Hysminias, Constantine Manasses’s Aristandros and Kallithea, and Niketas Eugenianos’s Drosilla and Charikles. Until very recently, these texts have been largely overlooked, and Elizabeth Jeffreys’s much-needed edition and study is a landmark contribution that will make them available to a wider audience and have a lasting impact on literary scholarship...

An Astrological Handbook from the Reign of Manuel I Komnenos

Attached to the horoscope of John Synadinos, dated 5 February 1153, and its interpretation is a collection of astrological excerpts possibly put together to provide the client with specific details about astrological enquiries. The whole forms a rudimentary manual of astrology, which, in many respects, represents scientific trends of the mid-12th century. Not only does it integrate Arabic material, it is also in keep with the astrological fervour that seized many in Manuel's reign. The handbook is striking for its prudent conviction of the orthodoxy of this science; its audience was likely to be found among a literate public outside the realm of scholars and professional astrologers, or even the imperial court itself, however. In many ways, the simplicity of this collection of excerpts and its didactic purposes are also reminiscent of astrological poems that circulated at the time, especially John Kamateros' Introduction to Astronomy and Constantine Manasses' verses to the Sebastokratorissa Irene.

The Perfect Ruler in the Art and Literature of Medieval Bulgaria

The paper is an attempt to provide some information about the concept of the perfect ruler, as saved in the literature and the fine arts of the medieval Bulgaria, and which are related to the name of the king Ivan Alexander. The first part of the text is of theoretical character, showing how the ancient Greek literature presents the ideal ruler. The second one points out the characteristics of the portrayal of Ivan Alexander, as saved in both literary monuments (praises of the king in the Sofia psalter, so-called Pesnivec, 1337), and iconographical ones (a famous chronicle by Constantine Manasses, 1345–1346).

Sulle Nere Ali dei Sogni. Costantino Manasse e L'ambiguitá Onirica

Abstract Moving from four fragments of Aristander and Callithea (47, 103, 115, 152), this article explores the narrative and ideological meaning of dreams in Constantine Manasses' narrative. Fr. 47, in particular, encloses a quotation from Euripides (Hecuba 72), which has been put in connection with the commentary on Aristotle's work De divinatione per somnia written by Michael of Ephesus. Nevertheless the arguments for a direct connection between the two texts are not cogent. On the contrary there is a wide range of patristic, theological and philosophical texts showing a strong and ongoing interest in Byzantine culture for the psychological aspects of the oneiric processes. This background is reflected both in Constantine's novel and in his Chronicle, where he reworks and adapts the contemporary debates for narrative purposes.

Die Episode des Palamedes in den byzantinischen Progymnasmata

Abstract This article examines the passing of the Palamedes episode, a matter from the subtexts of the Epic Cycle, into Byzantine rhetoric. This scene forms the center of a topic in the Progymnasmata of three Byzantine writers, Nikolaos Sophistes, Nikephoros Basilakes and George Pachymeres, while at the same time this matter is used (with a different function) also by Constantine Manasses, in his Synopsis Chronike. The way of use and the evaluation of the episode in these texts are examined in detail. In particular, Basilakes' and Pachymeres' Progymnasmata (διηγήματα), in which the Palamedes episode is used in an autonomous way, are compared with each other, and the differences of style, syntax, grammar and vocabulary between the texts of these wo writers are determined.

To compose, read, and use a Byzantine text: aspects of the chronicle of Constantine Manasses

Constantine Manasses’ Synopsis Chronike is a twelfth-century verse chronicle, recasting Byzantine history in a specifically Comnenian, romantic and poetic vein. The chronicle has been preserved in many manuscripts, but it has also come down to us in a number of different collections of excerpts. This article wishes to draw attention to the readers! excerptors of the Synopsis Chronike, to consider the use and usefulness of the text in relation to the composition itself. Some collections of excerpts are compared and discussed, with special focus on the excerpts included in a fifteenth-century miscellaneous manuscript (Codex Upsaliensis Graecus 8).