IMC 2004: Sessions
Session 714: The Cultures and Contexts of the Madrid Skylitzes, III: History and Narrative in Byzantium and Sicily
Tuesday 13 July 2004, 14.15-15.45
| Sponsor: | AHRB Centre for Byzantine Cultural History / Skylitzes Project |
|---|---|
| Organisers: | Bente Bjørnholt, AHRB Centre for Byzantine Cultural History, University of Sussex Margaret E. Mullett, Institute of Byzantine Studies, Queen's University, Belfast / AHRC Centre for Byzantine Cultural History |
| Moderator/Chair: | Judith Green, School of History, Queen's University, Belfast |
| Paper 714-a | John Skylitzes' Synopsis historiarum: Which Cultures?, Which Clash? (Language: English) Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Greek |
| Paper 714-b | Skylitzes on Regime Change and Varangian Cultural Autonomy (Language: English) Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Scandinavian |
| Paper 714-c | A Story for Sicily: History and Narrative in the Byzantine 12th Century (Language: English) Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Greek |
| Abstract | The illustrated manuscript of the Chronicle of the Byzantine official John Skylitzes (Bibl.nac.vitr.26-2) in Madrid was produced in Norman Sicily in the 12th century. The text does not betray the Sicilian origins of this copy of the chronicle, but the images which follow the narrative of the text relate very clearly to Latin, Byzantine and Islamic visual cultures. Four linked sessions will contextualise the manuscript in terms of art, narrative, and milieu as well as the wider context of the meeting of cultures. This session will explore the cultural tensions in the original text and in its literary context. |