Abstract
Byzantine historiography, which is heavily indebted to the classical tradition stretching back to Herodotos and Thucydides in the fifth century BCE, continued to evolve over more than a millennium, demonstrating the vitality of the genre and the stimulus provided by its roots. Historiography was a branch of rhetoric in the classical world, with its texts displaying events of the past to an audience in an attractive manner. Wars, with their associated diplomacy, had always been a dominant subject of historiography. Two important Greek world chronicles survive from Late Antiquity, both extending from Adam to the present: one produced by John Malalas in Antioch and the other by John of Antioch in the early seventh century. Eusebios of Caesarea created a separate genre of ecclesiastical history, which was continued in the East by Gelasios. The classicizing historians of Byzantium produced some of the most distinguished Byzantine literature.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Oxford handbook of Byzantine Studies |
Editors | Elizabeth Jeffreys, John Haldon, Robin Cormack |
Publisher | SIPRI/Oxford University Press |
ISBN (Print) | 9780191743528, 9780199252466 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Bibliographical note
Print publication 2008. Online publication 2012.Keywords
- Byzantine literature
- Byzantium
- Eusebios of caesarea
- Gelasios
- Historiography
- John malalas
- John of antioch
- Late antiquity
- World chronicles
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Arts and Humanities