CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2010
| Author | Nemeth, Andras |
|---|---|
| Title | Imperial Systematization of the Past: Emperor Constantine VII and His Historical Excerpts |
| Summary | This thesis investigates an extraordinary project initiated and overseen by the Byzantine emperor, Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (945–959). This endeavour involved the deconstruction of a vast corpus of prior historical writings in Greek (at least by 26 historians) into small sections and reconstructing them in a newly arranged systematic order, resulting in the Constantinian Excerpts. This corpus of historical excerpts provides a unique insight in the tenth-century imperial view of history through the selection of 53 subject matters, the tenth-century methods of data management, and the compilation technique, also significant for the more thoroughly understanding of other imperial compilations such as De administrando imperio, De thematibus, and De cerimoniis. My thesis intends to contribute to the achievements of the scholarship in this field primarily by re-studying the manuscripts and analyzing the excerptors` editorial supplements, which have not been published and systematically studied so far. By analyzing the compilation technique of the Byzantine excerptors, my thesis provides a more precise and detailed reconstruction of the method of excerpting, identifies the characteristic elements of this method, which prove innovative in terms of combining traditional techniques, and outlines a possible link between the historical excerpts and Constantine VII`s other projects. As a result of the analysis, I suggest to expand the temporal frame of producing the excerpts. It is argued that the process of excerpting started in the 940s, the production of the final deluxe copies continued after Constantine VII`s death for a couple of decades. These new findings may extend our knowledge on Byzantine intellectual history and on Byzantine compilation techniques. As a high proportion of the historical texts of the Constantinian Excerpts have not come down to us in other form, the thesis may provide additional clues to study the fragmentary historians of the Roman and Late Antique periods and Constantine VII`s other compilations. |
| Supervisor | Gaul, Niels |
| Department | Medieval Studies PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2010/mphnea01.pdf |
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