IMC 2020: Sessions
Session 1611: Mountain and Otherness: Mystery, Misunderstandings, and Diplomacy on a Geographical Border in the Byzantine Early Middle Ages
Thursday 9 July 2020, 11.15-12.45
| Sponsor: | Dipartimento di Italianistica, Romanistica, Antichistica, Arti e Spettacolo (DIRAAS), Università degli Studi di Genova |
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| Organiser: | Pia Carolla, Dipartimento di Italianistica Romanistica Antichistica Arti e Spettacolo Università degli Studi di Genova |
| Moderator/Chair: | Pia Carolla, Dipartimento di Italianistica Romanistica Antichistica Arti e Spettacolo Università degli Studi di Genova |
| Paper 1611-a | From Euripides' 'mountainous monster' to John Malalas's 'widow, named Sphinx': Byzantine Re-Interpretations of a Liminal Figure (Language: English) Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Greek, Learning (The Classical Inheritance) |
| Paper 1611-b | The Mountain and the 'Other': Gregory of Nazianzus's Poems and Their Influence in Byzantine Theological Thought (Language: English) Index terms: Biblical Studies, Byzantine Studies, Language and Literature - Greek, Theology |
| Paper 1611-c | Between Stereotypical Views and the Rise of a New Sensibility: The Perception of Mountain in Procopius's History of the Wars (Language: English) Index terms: Geography and Settlement Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Military History, Politics and Diplomacy |
| Paper 1611-d | Far Over: A Golden Mountain (or Two) among the Sogdian Turks and a Byzantine Perception of the 'Other' beyond the Borders (Language: English) Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Pagan Religions, Politics and Diplomacy |
| Abstract | Starting from the mountain as a natural boundary, this session aims at exploring the implications, perceptions, and re-readings of a landscape which turns into a window to the Otherness. With a focus on myths and poems, as well as on misunderstandings and diplomacy, the approaches span from geography to theology, diplomacy, military history, literature, and philology. Different literary genres frame discussion about the 'Other' to be met beyond the geographical, chronological, and cultural borders of the Byzantine empire; paper-d touches the borders of Central Asia up to the 10th century and complements the Eurasian perspective. |