Macedonian Renaissance Research Articles

On the Issue of the Semantics of the Monumental Paintings of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643–1644

The purpose of the article is to analyse the literature and sources covering the issues of studying the ideological and artistic content of the monumental painting of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643–1644. The author's main focus is on revealing the semantics of the mural's subjects and interpreting the iconology of the monumental ensemble, which will allow us to determine the place of the monument in the context of the national spiritual and artistic culture of the first half of the seventeenth century. It is planned to characterise the ideological programme of the monumental painting of the Petro Mohyla era and to identify the main accents in the system of paintings. The research methodology is based on the application of a systematic approach, an analytical method, art history, historical-comparative, historical-genetic, historical-systemic, and descriptive methods for a comprehensive consideration of the given problem and formulate well-founded conclusions. The scientific novelty is characterised by the fact that for the first time, based on a critical analysis of literature and sources, the need for a reliable semantic analysis of the monumental painting of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643-1644 was identified. Based on a thorough study of the features of the church's painting system, the leading artistic and visual themes are identified and a variant of the interpretation of the iconology of the monumental ensemble of the time of Petro Mohyla is proposed. Conclusions. Summarising, we should note, that in the process of analysing the system of paintings of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove, its integrity and the conditionality of all elements were noted. The nature of the images made it possible to identify the key areas that carry the greatest semantic and dogmatic load. The author identifies the leading theological themes in the system of paintings – the Incarnation and the Eucharistic Sacrifice – and outlines a number of subjects that represent these themes. It is noted that the theme of the Incarnation in Byzantine art acquired special significance after the victory of icon worship. The monumental ensemble of the Church of the Saviour of 1643-1644 was presented as a reminiscence of Macedonian Renaissance art. It was noted that the programmatic archaism of the system of paintings and a specific set of subjects were related to the actual tasks of the spiritual life of the time of Petro Mohyla. Keywords: Church of the Saviour at Berestove, monumental painting, Macedonian Renaissance, post-Byzantine art, system of paintings, semantics, iconology, theological programme, ideological and artistic content, spiritual culture, archaism, Era of Petro Mohyla.

Sports life in the provincial cities of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 4th-6th centuries

The article is devoted to the study of the sports life of provincial cities of the Byzantine Empire in the IV-VI centuries. Based on written and material sources it is proved that the sports life of the empire in the early Byzantine period was not limited to the Great Hippodrome of Constantinople. It is shown that hippodromes operated in all major cities of the empire, where competitions were held in the most popular sport - chariot racing. This sport was also an important “social elevator”, a way of labor migration from the province to the capital for talented charioteers and dancers. Sports games according to the Olympic program, the decline of which was previously associated with the end of the IV - beginning of the V century, in fact, continued to be held in Antioch until the beginning of the VI century, which makes this city the last keeper of the traditions of Olympism in the early Middle Ages. The great historical role of provincial “branches” of circus parties, both as powerful political and economic institutions and instigators of social unrest on a pan-imperial scale is noted. The unique precedent of the use of sports competitions in provincial Apamea by the Persian Shah Khosrow I as a military-political tool to assert an advantage over Justinian I has been studied. It is concluded that sports in provincial cities fell into decline at the beginning of the VII century due to the difficult military and economic situation of the empire. During the Macedonian Renaissance spectator sports in the provinces did not recover.

Образ грифона на византийских печатях (на примере коллекции Государственного Эрмитажа)

In the tenth-century Byzantine sigillography, along with the classical iconographic repertoire (images of the Mother of God, saints, and cross potent), there appeared images of birds, real animals and monsters, and even portraits of the owners of seals. An important place among them belongs to the seals showing griffin, an imaginary monster combining the features of an eagle and a lion. Its images on seals comprise three variants: 1) single image of a griffin, 2) griffin trampling an animal, 3) paired griffins in the flight scene of Alexander the Great. Among the lead seals in the State Hermitage Museum collection, the first variant is represented by the seals of Theophylaktos Argyros, anthypatos patrikios; Stephen, protospatharios, episkeptites and the anagrapheus of the imperial domains protected by God; Constantine, imperial spatharokandidatos and kommerkiarios of Thessalonike; Theophylaktos, patrikios, imperial protospatharios, ἐπὶ τοῦ Χρυσοτρικλίνου and chartoularios of the dromos; Demetrios, imperial spatharokandidatos and ἐπὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἑταιρείας; George; and Theophilus (?). The second variant occurs on the seals of Leo, imperial protospatharios, ἐπὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἑταιρείας, and Staurakios, imperial protospatharios, ἐπὶ τῶν οἰκειακῶν and ἐπὶ τῶν βαρβάρων. The third variant shows a unique seal from the State Hermitage Museum featuring an image of SS. Constantine and Helena on the obverse. Taking the seals from other collections along with the sigillographic monuments from the State Hermitage Museum into account, the author of this paper has run to the conclusion that the appearance of the image of a griffin in the tenth century coincided with the Macedonian Renaissance and was connected mainly with the revival of interest in the antique past. It was the time when this image retained only its apotropaic and decorative function. It was placed on the seals of secular officials, civilian and the military persons.

“What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” Christian homilies, ancient myths, and the “Macedonian Renaissance”

A study of the extensive corpus of around 200 Greek homilies dating from the late ninth to the end of the tenth century has revealed a clear trend in Byzantine homiletics, which has practically escaped attention so far: references to Ancient Greek myths in the form of exempla occur in roughly one tenth of them. All of this material is presented in detail and analyzed in the article. Moreover, this paradoxical phenomenon of incorporating pagan material in religious works that were read out in church is accounted for by appealing to a number of factors, including the influence of Gregory of Nazianzus’ and Photius’ examples on the homilists involved, the flourishing of rhetoric in the era of the “revival of learning”, and the classicizing spirit of the “Macedonian renaissance”. While the use of myths did not imply acceptance of their ethics, a special fondness of erotic myths makes its appearance. The trend under discussion here emerges as a literary counterpart to classicism in the art of the tenth century.

Classicisation or representation? Mimesis in Byzantine pictorial arts as a derivative of style

The idea of mimesis in art theory has been neglected by Byzantine scholars. Reasons for this may lie in the fact that the understanding of the term in Byzantium was very complex and that it changed over time. In the Early Byzantine period and the so-called Macedonian Renaissance, a tendency to use tonal modelling, which was inherited from ancient Greco-Roman art, can still be observed. Starting in the late tenth century they give way to a more linear style. Simultaneously, a change in the understanding of mimesis in theological writings can also be observed. The aim of this paper is to introduce the problem of a mimetic approach in visual arts as a phenomenon in Byzantine culture.

Periodic Revival or Continuation of the Ancient Military Tradition? Another Look at the Question of the KATÁFRAKTOI in the Byzantine Army

This article discusses the question of origin and identity of katáfraktoi – heavy-armoured cavalry in Byzantium. In the specialist literature on the subject, there is a widespread opinion that the heavily-armoured elitist cavalry, defined as catafracti and clibanarii had existed from the Hellenistic period until the end of Late Antiquity. Whereas a comparison of the construction, material and use of the individual elements of weapons and armour used by the Byzantine heavy cavalry from the sixth century and the first half of the seventh century with those of the ancient catafracti and clibanarii, allows us to draw the conclusion that the Byzantine heavily armed cavalry was its continuation, not necessarily in respect of the identity of the formations and their tactics, but more so in respect of the used arms and other elements of equipment. The term catafracti was not used at that time. Classifying the Byzantine cavalry from this period as catafracti, despite the fact that it is not usually defined in this way is based on the opinion of emperor Leo VI, expressed in Tactica, in accordance with which the chief element which distinguished catafracti and clibanarii units from other types of cavalry, was the complete armour of both the horse and rider. In spite of the fact, that the Romans, in response to the Sasanid heavy horsemen created their own mailed cavalry described by names catafracti or clibanarii, the influence of the Steppe people (principally the Huns and Avars) was more pronounced in the next centuries. Their weapons and tactics completely transformed the Byzantine way of war. In particular, this development concerned the cavalry – the main striking force of Byzantine army at this time. As we have seen, a disappearance of the ancient terms catafracti and clibanarii and their tactics (fighting in wedge-column order) was linked with this process of change. In the 10th century, in contemporary military treatises the term katáfraktoi appeared once again, a fact that can be connected with a usage typical for the “Macedonian renaissance”. At this time, the elitist formations of this type constituted a force marginal as compared to other cavalry units making up the Byzantine forces. However, the appearance of the 10th century katáfraktoi were a practical effect of the revival of ancient traditions in the Byzantine culture: they were not a formation which was only modeled on its ancient predecessor, but its constituted a continuation of the ancient patterns. The horsemen were equipped with similar protective armour as their ancient forerunners. They also applied the same tactics, for instance by fighting in the wedge-column order, which is ascribed to the ancient cavalry of this type. Sources mentioned above indicates, that this kind of battle array was reintroduced at this time. Moreover, the katáfraktoi were also present as a main striking cavalry force in the Comnenian army, which indicates, that heavy-armoured cavalry was still necessary. There is no reason to accept the opinion that there was no continuous tradition of heavy-armoured cavalry in the Byzantine Empire.

The Trebizond Lectionary (Cod. gr. 21 and 21a) in Russian National Library, Saint Petersburg and Byzantine Art after the Macedonian Renaissance

<p>Το άρθρο εξετάζει τις μικρογραφίες του λεγόμενου Ευαγγελισταρίου της Τραπεζούντας, που φυλάσσεται στη Ρωσική Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη, στην Αγία Πετρούπολη. Ενώ η χρονολόγηση του χειρογράφου στο β΄ μισό του 10ου αιώνα είναι ευρέως αποδεκτή, ο τόπος δημιουργίας του παραμένει αβέβαιος. Η συγγραφέας απορρίπτει παλαιότερη υπόθεση, σύμφωνα με την οποία το χειρόγραφο δημιουργήθηκε στη Μικρά Ασία. Κατά την άποψη της, οι μικρογραφίες του Ευαγγελισταρίου της Τραπεζούντας, μαζί με ορισμένα άλλα έργα τέχνης, κυρίως κωνσταντινουπολίτικης προέλευσης, αντιπροσωπεύουν μια εκφραστική αντι-κλασική τάση που εμφανίστηκε στο γ΄ τέταρτο του 10ου αιώνα ως αντίδραση στον κλασικισμό της Μακεδονικής Αναγέννησης.</p> <p> </p>

Le silence des livres. Manuscrits philosophiques et circulation des idées à l’époque byzantine moyenne

Thanks to the experimental nature of the conference where this research was originally discussed, the article offers a quick survey of the production, circulation and reception of manuscripts with philosophical texts in the Byzantine world, under a new methodology. In the first part, some of the most important manuscripts of philosophical texts are ‘stratigraphically’ analized: in this way, historiographical totem as the so-called «premier humanisme byzantin» or the «macedonian Renaissance» are discussed and revised. In the second part, I examine literary evidences about the circulation of philosophical works in the different periods of Byzantine history, prudently trying to connect them with the quantitative datas which can be inferred from databases as the Mertens-Pack 3 and Pinakes.

How Byzantium viewed classical heritage: A case for the “Macedonian renaissance” in the Archaeological Museum in Pula

The article deals with the bone and ivory casket in the Archaeological Museum in Pula and its place in the so-called “Macedonian renaissance”, period of resplendent Byzantine cultural achievement (10-11th century). By analyzing the iconography of the casket, its mythological subjects and classical models, the author questions the “renaissance phenomenon”, which has become one of the common topics for art history in the Middle Ages.

Histoire de la langue macédonienne

Историjа на македонскиот јазик Крсте Петков Мисирков, македонски лингвист, во своето дело под наслов За македонските работи (1903 г.), со овие зборови ja опиша македонската преродба: «како што понапред ние постелено и први се просветувавме со христијанството и со писмото, а другите Словени – по нас и набрзина, така пак сега, во времето кога сите православни Словени постелено си изработија свои литературни јазици, свои богати литератури и постелено израбо- тени правописи, ние остануваме поназад од сите, тукуречи без литературни традиции – не затоа што ги немаме, а зашто го забораваме своето изучувајќи го туѓото». Оваа непомирлива и умесна констатација навистина потсетува на значајната улога што ја одиграл македонскиот јазик во IX век за покрстувањето на Словените во христијанство. Во ова дело Мисирков докажува дека македонскиот јазик е одделен јазик од српскиот и бугарскиот. Toj потврдува дека Македонците се одделна нација од српската и бугарската. Научно се спротив- ставува на негирањето на македонскиот идентитет. Македонскиот јазик е последниот словенски јазик што е официјализиран (2 август 1944). Сепак, ќе се продолжи со негирање на македонскиот јазик и нација. Во овој труд ќе се обидеме да ги дадеме причините и последиците на ова негирање низ историјата.

Maria Mavroudi, A Byzantine book on dream interpretation. The Oneirocriticon of Achmet and its Arabic sources

Abstract The Byzantine dreambook known in the tradition as The Oneirocriticon of Achmet has had a long and influential history both in its field and in scholarship. It is the longest of the eight surviving Byzantine books on dream interpretation, and most likely also the oldest. It was compiled during the Macedonian renaissance—specifically, the two termini of 843 and 1075 can be established—possibly in the reign of Leo VI (r. 886–912), to whom it may have been dedicated, and possibly through the influence of his Arab minister Samonas. It was translated early into Latin, in 1176 (by contrast, the famous ancient dreambook of Artemidorus was not translated until 1539), and “through this translation found its way into several European and vernacular languages from the late thirteenth century onward” (p. 4). The scholarly study of the work began in 1577, with the preface Johann Loewenklau wrote for his Latin translation of the Greek text, and continued apace to this day. The book by Maria Mavroudi under review here, from which this information is taken (chapter 1), is the latest in a long series of studies. It is also the most exhaustive and meticulous in its research and the first fully to take into account, in a professional and exemplary manner, the Arabic sources of the work. Exhaustive, but perhaps also exhausting—one may object that 471 pages of text (exclusive of prefatory material and bibliographies and indices) for a study of a mere dreambook may be too many, though apparently necessary, for Mavroudi's book contends against the weight of previous scholarship and offers much needed correctives.

Legendary genealogies of Byzantine Emperors and their families

Legendary genealogies of Byzantine Emperors and their families

Epigrams, Art, and the "Macedonian Renaissance"

Epigrams, Art, and the "Macedonian Renaissance"

The Bath of Leo the Wise and the "Macedonian Renaissance" Revisited: Topography, Iconography, Ceremonial, Ideology

The Bath of Leo the Wise and the "Macedonian Renaissance" Revisited: Topography, Iconography, Ceremonial, Ideology

The "Main Plane" as a Compositional Element in the Style of the Macedonian Renaissance and Its Origins

The "Main Plane" as a Compositional Element in the Style of the Macedonian Renaissance and Its Origins

The Joshua Roll: Original or Copy?

UNTIL recently most scholars of early mediaeval art considered the Joshua Roll (Vatican Library, Cod. Palat. gr. 431) a descendant of a lost late antique illustrated rotulus, even though they might have differed widely on the date of the extant work.1 This opinion was lately challenged by Professor Kurt Weitzmann. In a monograph devoted to that famous manuscript he advanced the unprecedented theory that the Roll is not a copy of an older roll but an original creation of the Byzantine renaissance in the tenth century;2 that the artist of the Roll borrowed the basic scenes of the military campaign of Joshua from an Octateuch cycle and corrected them—as a scholar corrects a text by drawing upon other texts—by the addition of an illusionistic landscape setting, architectural forms, and some special elements which he calls “insertion motifs,” the first two intended to enrich the pictorial synthesis and the last to fill the joints between the borrowed scenes. Furthermore, the artist is said to have introduced all the personifications in the Roll, having adapted them for that purpose directly from antique secular manuscripts which were found in the Imperial Library in Constantinople. The final result—the Joshua Roll, the like of which is said not to have existed before—was probably created to serve as a diminutive equivalent of an imperial column (and probably influenced by the imperial triumphal columns in Constantinople) in honor of the Byzantine emperor, Constantine Porphyrogenetos. Its form and content were also intended to reflect the interest of the emperor in the revival of classical art and in the career and character of Joshua, who was at once the embodiment of the great Biblical hero and the victorious ideal of the Macedonian renaissance.3

The Joshua Roll, A Work of the Macedonian Renaissance. By Kurt Weitzmann.

<i>The Joshua Roll, A Work of the Macedonian Renaissance</i>. By Kurt Weitzmann.