Madrid Skylitzes
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| Author | John Skylitzes |
|---|---|
| Original title | Σύνοψις Ἱστοριῶν |
| Language | Medieval Greek |
| Genre | Historiography |
| Publication date | 12th century |
The Madrid Skylitzes is a 12th-century illuminated manuscript version of the Synopsis of Histories (Greek: Σύνοψις Ἱστοριῶν)[a] by John Skylitzes, which covers the reigns of the Byzantine emperors from the death of Nicephorus I in 811 to the deposition of Michael VI in 1057.[1] The manuscript was produced at the Norman court of Palermo in Sicily (although there is some debate on whether the main body was made in Palermo or Constantinople)[2][3] and is now housed in the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid. It remains the only preserved Greek-language illustrated chronicle from the Byzantine period.[4] The chronicle includes 574 miniatures detailing depictions of everyday life in the Byzantine Empire such as boats, literary practices, sieges, and ceremonies,[1] in "both purely Byzantine and Western styles".[5]
Images
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Thomas the Slav seeks refuge with the Arabs
a. Thomas the Slav negotiates with the Saracens
b. Thomas's troops defeat the Imperial army
Depiction of Greek fire in the Madrid Skylitzes
Meeting between Emperor John Tzimiskes and Sviatoslav I of Kiev
References
[edit]- 1 2 Sussex Centre for Byzantine Cultural History, University of Sussex. "The Madrid Skylitzes Project". www.sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ↑ Oikonomides, Nicolas; Zachariadou, Elizabeth (2023). "The Costume of the Eparch and the Madrid Skylitzes". Society, Culture and Politics in Byzantium. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-93933-0.
- ↑ Macrides, Ruth (2016). "Engaging the Byzantine past: strategies of visualizing history in Sicily and Bulgaria". History as Literature in Byzantium. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-93064-2.
- ↑ Tsamakda, Vasiliki (2000). "The Miniatures of the Madrid Skylitzes". academia. p. 127. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ↑ Evans, Helen C. & Wixom, William D. (1997). The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843–1261, p. 438. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-8109-6507-2. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
Bibliography
[edit]- Color facsimile edition by Militos (Μίλητος) Publishers, ISBN 960-8460-16-6.
- Tsamakda, Vasiliki (2002). The Illustrated Chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes, Leiden.
- Bjørnholt, Bente and J. Burke, eds. (2005). "The Cultures and Contexts of the Madrid Skylitzes". International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds
External links
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- Biography of Basil II with notes on Scylitzes by Catherine Holmes
- World Digital Library page, and PDF download of the Madrid Skylitzes
- Hispanic Digital Library page, and PDF download of the Madrid Skylitzes
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