This course studies a wide variety of texts related to heroism and good rulership in Komnenian Byzantium (ca. 1081–1185). The Komnenian ruling aristocracy adopted a strong military ideology, which is reflected in the rich literary production of the period. We will explore models of heroism that were inherited from antiquity and reinterpreted in contemporary contexts. The Bible offered further exemplary rulers, which repeatedly feature as models for the ruling emperor in the panegyrical literature of the time. We will also study historiographical works and examine how their authors present the heroic feats of their protagonists in accordance with their own political views and notions of heroism. The last part of the course is devoted to the epic of Digenis Akritis, one of the best-known works of Byzantine literature. A main objective of the course is to broaden students’ experience with the Medieval Greek language and expand their reading skills. The selected readings therefore comprise texts of various kinds, written by different authors and in different registers of Medieval Greek, in both prose and verse. The seminar sessions will concentrate on understanding the texts from a linguistic and literary point of view and interpreting them within their socio-historical and cultural contexts.
- Instructor: Baukje van den Berg