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L A N
THE LATE ANTIQUITY NEWSLETTER
Volume 1 no.2
September, 1996
Table of Contents
*Introductory Notes*
*Conference Announcements*
*Seminars, Colloquia, Workshops, and Lectures*
*Institutional Programs*
*New Books*
*Journal Announcements*
*Museum Exhibits
*Job Openings*
*Computer Notes:*
*Studies*
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Publication information:
The Late Antiquity Newsletter 1.2 (September, 1996)
"*LAN*" is published several times a year under the auspices of the
Society for Late Antiquity, which consists of those in attendance at
the bi-annual Late Antiquity conferences. It is distributed gratis
over the Internet using a distribution list named LTANTSOC, which
operates using LISTSERV software. Readers are permitted and welcome
to cite, repost, and reprint material from *LAN* so long as suitable
acknowledgement to the "Late Antiquity Newsletter" is given.
"*LAN*" is intended to "get the news out" about current
events re-
lating to Late Antiquity. The following kinds of contributions are
solicited: announcements of conferences, symposia, colloquia, lec-
tures, books, journals, museum exhibits, archaeological digs, WEB
sites (all with or without summaries of contents), job openings,
collaborative/interdisciplinary projects, work in progress, and re-
quests for assistance. Also, succinct notices of a scholarly nature
that might be too brief for publication in more traditional scholar-
ly journals. *LAN* also serves as a more structured corollary to
LT-ANTIQ, the Late Antiquity discussion list, and will include dis-
cussions of computer-related topics, and summaries of some of the
topics that have been discussed on LT-ANTIQ.
Editor: Ralph W. Mathisen, Department of History, University of
South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. 29208, U.S.A.
EMAIL: ralph.w.mathisen@sc.edu. FAX: 803-777-4494
To subscribe to the "*Late Antiquity Newsletter*" please send a note
to ralph.w.mathisen@sc.edu asking to be put on the distribution
list. Comments and suggestions regarding the format and content of
"*LAN*" also can be sent to the same address.
To subscribe to LT-ANTIQ, the Late Antiquity discussion list, please
send a message consisting only of the words:
SUBSCRIBE LT-ANTIQ first-name last-name
to LISTSERV@VM.SC.EDU.
Copyright (1996) The Society for Late Antiquity
N.B. To allow for easier electronic navigation, the different sec-
tions are separated by a row of "============" and the different
entries of each section by a row of "------------". Italics (under-
scores) are represented by asterisks.
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INTRODUCTORY NOTES
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CONFERENCES
Summaries and Updates of Previous Conference Announcements
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LATE ANTIQUITY COLLOQUIUM AT THE APA CONFERENCE
26-30 December 1996
The session topic of the Three Year Colloquium on Late Antiquity of
the American Philological Association meeting in New York, 26-30
December 1996, will be "Ceremony and Spectacle in Late Antiquity,"
Geoffrey Harrison and Michael Roberts, Organizers. Papers as fol-
lows:
1. Ralph W. Mathisen, University of South Carolina
"Emperors and Subjects: Consular Ceremony in Late Antiquity"
2. Jon E. Lendon, Massachussetts Institute of Technology
"The Adoration of the Purple and the Imperial Regime of Honors"
3. Michele Salzman, University of California, Riverside
"Festival Time and Religious Space in Late Antique Rome"
4. Paul E. Kimball, State University of New York, Buffalo
"Bloodless Victory and the Sea of Fire: Triumphal and Apocalyp-
tic Symbols in Liturgical Processions"
Discussant: Richard Lim, Smith College
Time and day are still to be set by the APA.
Information: mroberts@wesleyan.edu (Michael Roberts)
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THE TENTH CONFERENCE OF THE
AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR BYZANTINE STUDIES
(25-27 April 1997)
(conference update)
NOTICE OF CONFERENCE APRIL 1997 AND FORM TO REGISTER INTEREST
"Sailing to Byzantium"
The Tenth Conference of The Australian Association for Byzantine
Studies to be held at the Australian National University in Canberra
Friday April 25th (Anzac Day) to Sunday 27th an Australian long
weekend, Easter for the Orthodox and Canberra's autumn leaves at
their glorious best (Canberra is the national capital, set in the
mountains, about 3 hours' drive or a short plane trip from Sydney.)
Conference theme. It is intended that everyone, including research
students, should be able to navigate their way around this theme and
present a paper if they wish. Either one hour or half-hour shifts at
the helm will be the norm. The theme need not be interpreted liter-
ally. While nautical subjects, or a nautical twist, would be very
appropriate, it may be treated allegorically, with the emphasis
placed on the sub-title.
TO RECEIVE THE SECOND CIRCULAR AND REGISTRATION FORM IN NOVEMBER
1996 PLEASE RETURN THE FORM BELOW TO THE CONVENER:
Dr Ann Moffatt, Art History Department, ANU, Canberra, ACT 0200
Phone: (61) 6-249.2901 (W) or 6-247.4783 (H); Fax: (61) 6-249.2705
Email: Ann.Moffatt@anu.edu.au
The final date for offering a paper will be (yes) Friday December
13th and a synopsis of approx. 300 words must be submitted by March
1st, 1997 to be circulated with the draft program prior to the con-
ference.
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REGIONALISM IN HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN ASIA MINOR
(22-24 August 1997)
A small research conference concerning Regionalism in Hellenistic
and Roman Asia Minor is being planned to be held at Trinity College,
Hartford, CT, on Friday 22nd-Sunday 24th August, 1997. Participants
will be asked to explore the mechanisms that create and maintain
regional cohesion in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor.
For further information, contact the organizers: Gary Reger, Box
702550, Trinity College, Hartford CT 06106, email at
gary.reger@mail.trincoll.edu, telephone 860-297-2393; or Hugh Elton,
History and Classics Departments, Trinity College, Hartford CT
06106, email at hugh.elton@mail.trincoll.edu, telephone 860-297-
2230. Fax for both: 860-297-5111.
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(Updated Announcement)
SHIFTING FRONTIERS II:
THE TRANSFORMATION OF LAW AND SOCIETY IN LATE ANTIQUITY
(13-16 March 1997)
Sponsored by
The Department of History and the College of Liberal Arts
(University of South Carolina)
and the
Society for Late Antiquity
Nearly every student of Late Antiquity at one time or another has
encountered "the law," be it a ruling by a Roman emperor, a canon of
a church council, an entry in a barbarian law code, or the applica-
tion of unwritten social practices that were even more potent than
written law. And most of us, at one time or another, have had ideas
about the role that "law" played, broadly writ, in the society of
Late Antiquity, and about the transformations that both underwent
from the third through the seventh century.
This conference will provide a forum where many disparate strands of
thought about the transformation of law and society during Late An-
tiquity can be brought together into a cohesive whole. The topic is
meant to be inclusive rather than exclusive. We hope to look not
only at laws-qua-documents and laws-qua-official decrees, but also
at laws-qua-social instruments, and how law, and notions surrounding
law, functioned in real social contexts.
We hope to have a very broad coverage, chronologically (third
through seventh centuries), geographically (the western European,
Byzantine, and Islamic worlds), disciplinary (ranging from the phi-
lology to the anthropoligy), and methodologically (epigraphy, papy-
rology, palaeography, archaeology). We also hope to have represen-
tatives of Late Roman, Early Medieval, Byzantine, and Islamic stud-
ies.
We anticipate publishing the proceedings in a format similar to that
of the first conference, viz. Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity,
R. Mathisen and H. Sivan eds. (Aldershot: Variorum, 1996) EMAIL:
gf06@ashgate.com.
Members of the Program Committee include Beatrice Caseau (Univ. of
Paris IV -- Sorbonne), Gillian Clark (Univ. of Liverpool), Jacque-
line Long (Univ. of Texas), David Miller (Tulsa, Okla.), Hagith Si-
van (Institute for Advanced Study), and Dennis Trout (Tufts).
Those who would like to present papers are asked to submit a one-
page abstract clearly setting out thesis and conclusions to Ralph W.
Mathisen, Dept. of History, University of South Carolina, Columbia,
S.C. 29208, U.S.A.
FAX 803-777-4494 -- EMAIL: Ralph.W.Mathisen@sc.edu.
N.B. The deadline for abstracts is September 30, 1996.
The Conference will be held March 13-16, 1997, on the campus of the
University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. The month of March
in South Carolina is spectacular, with the azaleas in full bloom and
the weather as good as it ever gets. Columbia is served by several
major airlines and easily reached by Interstates 26 from Asheville,
N.C. (145 mi.), 20 from Atlanta (200 mi.), and 77 from Charlotte,
N.C. (90 mi.).
Registration for all those attending or participating is $50, with a
student rate of $15. Nominal lodging subsidies will be provided for
those delivering papers. Lodging will be in a hotel adjoining the
campus with a nightly rate of $50/60 for single and double occupan-
cy. To register, or for further information, please contact the ad-
dress above.
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SEMINARS, COLLOQUIA, WORKSHOPS, AND LECTURES
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SECOND WORKSHOP ON WOMEN AND RELIGION IN THE MIDDLE AGES
(10-19 October 1996)
The second workshop on women and religion in the Middle Ages, spon-
sored by the Dutch National School of Medieval Studies, will take
place on 18-19 oct. 1996 in Groningen. The Byzantine participants
this year will include: Eunice Dautermann-Maguire (University of
Illinois), Sharon Gerstel (University of Maryland), Judith Herrin
(King's College London), Henry Maguire (University of Illinois), and
Alice- Mary Talbot (Dumbarton Oaks). Peter Hatlie (RuG) will act as
the coordinator of the Byzantine section. A publication is expected
in 1997-8.
In connection with the workshop, Judith Herrin will give a public
lecture here in Groningen. Title to be announced. Tentative date 21
october 1996.
Info: hatlie@let.rug.nl.
From *Gouden Hoorn*
Annabelle.Parker@pjmi.knaw.nl (Annabelle Parker)
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MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY LATE ANTIQUITY RESEARCH SEMINARS
(Semester Two, 1996)
The inaugural programme of a series of lectures and seminars on the
Mediterranean world from the late Roman empire to Byzantine, Islam-
ic, and medieval times.
26 July:
Professor Asher Ovadiah, Tel Aviv University:
"Symbolism in Jewish and Christian Works of Art in Late Antiquity"
2 August:
Professor Sam Lieu, Macquarie University:
"Myth and Constantine the Great"
16 August:
Dr Bill Leadbetter, Macquarie University:
"The Illegitimacy of Constantine"
30 August:
Dr Peter Brennan, University of Sydney:
"The Purposes of the Notitia dignitatum"
13 September:
Dr Brian Croke, Catholic Education Commission:
"Putting Zosimos Back Together Again"
27 September:
Dr Andrew Gillett, Macquarie University:
"A Model of Diplomacy in the Barbarian West"
18 October:
Dr Judith McKenzie, University of Sydney:
"The Architectural Style of Alexandria in the Third to Sixth Cen-
turies AD"
1 November:
Associate Professor Alanna Nobbs, Macquarie University:
"Photios's Transmission of Philostorgios"
8 November:
Dr Alan Bowman, Christ Church College, University of Oxford:
"Politics, Christianity, and Culture in Fourth Century Egypt"
Venue: Museum of Ancient Cultures Seminar Room,
building X5B room 321, Macquarie University, Sydney
Times: Fridays, 3:00 to 4:30
Enquiries: Andrew Gillett:
email: agillett@OCS1.OCS.mq.edu.au
fax: 2-850 8892
tel: 2-850 9966
mail: School of History, Philosophy and Politics,
Macquarie University
Sydney, NSW, 2109
Australia
Andrew Gillett
Dr Andrew Gillett
School of History, Philosophy and Politics
Macquarie University
Sydney NSW Australia 2109
tel. 02 850 9966
fax. 02 850 8892
email agillett@ocs1.ocs.mq.edu.au
=====================================================================
NEW BOOKS
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The American Society of Papyrologists is happy to announce the pub-
lication of:
*Michigan Papyri XVII, The Michigan Medical Codex*
by Louise C. Youtie
American Studies in Papyrology Volume 35
The present volume collects Mrs. Youtie's work on this codex, which
originally appeared over a number of years in ZPE. For those unfa-
miliar with the codex, it is a fourth century collection of pre-
scriptions and recipes for various medical concoctions.
The volume is available from Scholars Press.
jsherid@cms.cc.wayne.edu (Jennifer Sheridan)
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Robert W. Thomson, *REWRITING CAUCASIAN HISTORY: THE MEDIEVAL ARME-
NIAN ADAPTATION OF THE GEORGIAN CHRONICLES, THE ORIGINAL GEORGIAN
TEXTS AND THE ARMENIAN ADAPTATION*. Oxford Oriental Monographs, no
vol. given (#3 assumed). Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-
826373-2. Approx. US$90.
[Mr. Rapp notes: This is not intended to be a review; rather, it is
simply an announcement and description of contents. I intend to
publish a formal review of the work in the near future.]
For the first time, a scholarly translation of the earliest
extant Georgian historical works has been made available to Western
specialists. Prof. R.W. Thomson, who is best known for his many
translations of medieval Armenian texts (e.g., Agat`angeghos,
Eghishe, Ghazar P`arpec`i, Movsjs Xorenac`i, and t.b.p. Sebjos), has
produced a clear and accurate English rendition of the initial his-
tories which comprise the corpus known as K`ART`LIS C`XOVREBA (lit.
THE LIFE OF K`ART`LI/GEORGIA, also known as THE GEORGIAN ROYAL AN-
NALS). Considerably controversy surrounds this corpus. At first,
many scholars believed it to be the work of the eighteenth-century
editorial commission appointed by King Vaxtang VI; but the research
of modern historians like I. Javaxishvili and C. Toumanoff has dem-
onstrated that the corpus actually consists of a series of distinct
texts written in the medieval period. Toumanoff's various articles,
and especially his monumental STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN CAUCASIAN HISTORY
(1963), proved convincingly that the earliest texts of K`ART`LIS
C`XOVREBA were composed ca. 800, although many scholars in Georgia
still propose an eleventh-century dating for them. It should be
noted that Thomson has generally steered clear of the controversy
surrounding the dating of these texts, and the identification of
their authors.
The extant Georgian MSS of K`ART`LIS C`XOVREBA are relatively
late, with the earliest MS (the so-called Anaseuli or "Queen Anna"
variant) being copied only in the late fifteenth century. However,
a medieval Armenian adaptation of K`ART`LIS C`XOVREBA was made in
the eleventh or twelfth century, and the earliest MS of this redac-
tion, copied in the period 1279-1311, predates the earliest Georgian
MSS by several centuries. Thomson's study began as an interest in
this Armenian adaptation; since he wished to demonstrate how the
Armenian text was adapted from the Georgian original, he quickly
(and wisely) realized that a parallel translation of the Georgian
text was required. The bulk of this monograph is devoted to paral-
lel English translations, with some commentary, of both the Armenian
adaptation and the (reconstructed) critical Georgian text (ed. by S.
Qauxch`ishvili).
Thomson chose to translate only those Georgian texts which cor-
responded to those found in the Armenian adaptation. However, the
relative order of the initial texts of K`ART`LIS C`XOVREBA was al-
ready established at the time the Armenian adapation was produced;
therefore, no Georgian texts (in the sequence received) have been
omitted here. The following texts were translated by Thomson (ac-
cording to his identification):
1. Leonti Mroveli, History of the Kings of K`art`li
2. Leonti Mroveli, Conversion of K`art`li by Nino
3. Juansher [Juansheriani], History of King Vaxtang Gorgasali
4. Leonti Mroveli, Martyrdom of Arch`il, King of K`art`li
5. The Book of K`art`li
6. History of David, King of Kings
It should be noted that the identification of Leonti Mroveli
and Juansher Juansheriani as the authors of the texts listed is con-
troversial; interested readers should consult Toumanoff's works.
These particular texts relate evidence not only for the history of
Georgia, but also Armenia, Persia, Syria, Anatolia, Rome, Byzantium,
the Khazars, and the Turks (esp. the Selj|qs).
Besides the translations themselves, the book also includes the fol-
lowing:
"Abbreviations" (including MSS; to the Georgian list should be ad-
ded the so-called Mc`xet`ian MS of 1697), pp. xiii-xvi; "Transcrip-
tion [of Georgian and Armenian]," p. xviii; "Introduction [incl. a
comparison of the Armenian adaptation and Georgian text]," pp. xix-
li; excellent maps drawn by Prof. R.H. Hewsen, pp. lii-lv; "Appen-
dix: Later Additions to the Georgian Text...," pp. 354-378; "List of
Rulers," pp. 379-381; "Bibliography," pp. 383-391; a helpful
"Index
of Names," pp. 392-406;and "Index of Scriptural Quotations and Allu-
sions," pp. 407-408.
This book is, in my opinion, among the most important studies
to appear in Western languages on the subject since Toumanoff's mag-
num opus. Although Thomson regarded REWRITING CAUCASIAN HISTORY
principally as a study of the Armenian text, it will no doubt emerge
as the standard reference, superseding the splendid but outdated
work of M.-F. Brosset/D. Chubinashvili (i.e., Histoire de la Giorgie
[1849]), for Western scholars wishing to access these often over-
looked Georgian texts in translation.
Steven Rapp
University of Michigan
RAPPPP@AOL.COM
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Brief Announcements
*Architecture, Art, and Society in Late Antiquity, Conference 1995*,
(eds. S. Isager & B. Poulsen), Halicarnassian Studies 2, Odense Uni-
versity Press, forthcoming.
B. Poulsen et al., The Late "Roman Villa" in Halikarnassos, Odense
University Press, forthcoming.
Benericetti, Ruggero, *Il Cristo nei sermoni di S. Pier Crisologo*,
Studia Ravennatensia 6. Cesena: Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla An-
tica Provincia Ecclesiastica Ravennate, 1995.
A.A. Novello e.a., *The Armenians: 2000 years of art and architec-
ture*. Milano: Bookking, 1995. f69,50 (Van Gennep).
D. Huguenin (tekst) / E. Lessing (foto's), *De glorie van Venetie*.
Paris etc.: Atrium / Terrail, s.d., f39,90 (De Slegte).
B.M. Scarfi (ed.), *The lion of Venice: studies and research of the
bronze statue on the piazzetta*. Venice: Albini, 1990, f39,50 (Van
Gennep).
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JOURNAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
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BRYN MAWR CLASSICAL REVIEW, BRYN MAWR MEDIEVAL REVIEW
Since 1990, the Bryn Mawr Classical Review (BMCR) has been publish-
ing reviews of current work in all areas of classical studies, a
field it interprets as broadly as possible. In 1993, the Bryn Mawr
Medieval Review (BMMR) was started as the equivalent for medieval
studies. The electronic medium allows for very rapid publication
of reviews, and provides a computer searchable archive of past re-
views, both of which are of great utility to scholars and students
around the world. BMCR and BMMR operate as moderated distribution
lists. Subscribers receive reviews as e-mail; each review is posted
as soon as it has been received and edited. Reviews of interest to
subscribers on both lists are posted to both; it is also possible to
subscribe to both lists at once, without duplications, as BMR. Once
posted, reviews are available by ftp and gopher (with WAIS indexing
to facilitate searching) through the University of Virginia's li-
brary e-text service, at:
gopher://gopher.lib.virginia.edu/11/alpha/bmcr
gopher://gopher.lib.virginia.edu/11/alpha/bmmr
Web sites are currently under development.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
To subscribe to the BMCR or BMMR Lists, send a mail message to:
majordomo@brynmawr.edu
with nothing on the subject line and ONE of the following message
lines:
subscribe bmcr-l [your e-mail address]
subscribe bmmr-l [your e-mail address]
subscribe bmr-l [your e-mail address]
BMCR EDITORS: bmr@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Richard Hamilton, Bryn Mawr College (Greek)
James J. O'Donnell, University of Pennsylvania (Classical Studies)
BMMR editors: bmmr@wmich.edu
Rand H. Johnson, Western Michigan University (Foreign Languages)
Deborah M. Deliyannis, Western Michigan University (History)
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GOUDEN HOORN
Vol. 4, Issue 1
Summer 1996
ISSN 0929-7820
EDITORIAL FOR THE E-MAIL-VERSION
Welcome to the electronic version of Gouden Hoorn, a journal about
Byzantium which is published twice a year. This is the first time
that Gouden Hoorn is available via electronic means. The first three
volumes have been published in paper form and Gouden Hoorn will con-
tinue to be published on paper as well as in electronic form. We
hope to reach many academic and non-academic lovers of Byzantium
this way. Gouden Hoorn started out, in 1991, as a magazine for ama-
teurs of Byzantium in the Netherlands, but because our circle of
readers and authors spread out over Europe, we realized that it was
time to take Gouden Hoorn over the existing borders and use cyber-
space in combination with the English language to expand. So what
the reader will find on these pages is the current issue including
all Dutch articles, because leaving those out would make Gouden
Hoorn incomplete... We encourage everyone who is interested in or
intrigued by this magazine to give his or her reaction. If you would
like to write an article for Gouden Hoorn, send it in before 15 no-
vember preferably by e-mail (or on diskette). We also welcome an-
nouncements for conferences, lectures and interesting web sites.
CONTENTS
(0) Colofon
(1) Redactioneel
(2) Distinguishing between dreams and visions in ninth-century
hagiography, by Margaret Kenny
(3) The Life of blessed Syncletica, by Annabelle Parker
(4) Gouden Hoorn literair, by Anthony Kirby
(5) Some Byzantine madonnas in Rome, by Jonathan Harris
(6) News from Groningen, by Peter Hatlie
(7) Kretenzische notities, deel 1, by Andre de Raaij
(8) Byz-Niz
(9) Byzramsj, by Andre de Raaij
(10) Medewerkers aan dit nummer
Wilt u verzekerd zijn van uw exemplaar van Gouden Hoorn? Kijk dan
achterin dit nummer voor de speciale bon. Uitknippen of overschrij-
ven. Buiten Nederland kunt u indien u een e-mail-aansluiting heeft,
een abonnement via deze weg krijgen. Stuur ons dan s.v.p. een ber-
ichtje op onderstaand adres.
If you would like to receive Gouden Hoorn and do not live in the
Netherlands, you can receive it via e-mail if you have such a con-
nection. Please send us your request via the following address. In
case of no e-mail: no panic! We will send you a real paper-Gouden
Hoorn. Just send us a note or fill in the form.
Redactie:
Annabelle Parker
Andre de Raaij
Layout:
Jan Pieter Kunst
Adres:
Postbus 16410
1001 RM Amsterdam
e-mail:
annabelle.parker@pjmi.knaw.nl
giro:
6084462 t.n.v. Parker, Amsterdam
Gouden Hoorn is published by the Council of Independent Byzantinists
(Onafhankelijk Byzantinologen Overleg, O.B.O.), that was founded on
29th November, 1991. The O.B.O. aims at informing and bringing to-
gether lovers of Byzantium. The O.B.O. hopes to reach its goal by
publishing Gouden Hoorn twice a year. Whoever would like to write
something for Gouden Hoorn is invited to send a proposal to the edi-
tors. We welcome short articles, announcements of symposia, lec-
tures, and other writings that have 'Byzantium' then or now as top-
ic.
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ROMANOBARBARICA
Contributi allo studio dei rapporti culturali
tra mondo romano e mondo barbarico
Direttori: Bruno Luiselli, Manlio Simonetti
Redazione: Annalisa Bracciotti, Francesca Vitrone
Herder editrice, Roma
L'ultimo numero pubblicato e' il 13. Stiamo preparando il numero 14,
la cui uscita si prevede all'inizio del 1997.
Il periodo storico su cui vertono i contributi va circa dall'anno
313 all'anno 800.
Gli articoli possono avere una prospettiva storica, culturale, lin-
guistica, paleografica, artistica, paleografica. Vengono pubblicati
indifferentemente articoli in italiano, inglese, tedesco, francese,
spagnolo.
Typescripts can be send to:
Prof. Bruno Luiselli
Via Olona 7
I - 00198 Roma (Italy)
For information:
Herder Editrice
International Book Center
Piazza Montecitorio 120
I - 00186 Roma (Italy)
tel. 06-6794628
Il numero 13 comprende contributi su: Servio; sul De rebus bellicis;
sull'Africa vandalica (Tavolette Albertini; Anthologia Latina);
sull'Italia ostrogota (Cassiodoro; Teoderico); sui Longobardi (Al-
boino; Paolo Diacono; ritrovamenti archeologici); sulla tradizione
della metrica classica in Alcuino e Teodulfo; sulla Britannia post-
romana (early-christian inscriptions); sugli Anglosassoni (Erbari).
Annalisa Bracciotti
Universita' di Udine
annalisa.bracciotti@dllgr.uniud.it
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MUSEUM EXHIBITS
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Exhibits of Armenian art in Nantes and at the Bibliotheque nationale
de France, which both run until the fall, are reported by Dickran
Kouymjian
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JOB OPENINGS
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LATE ANTIQUITY
The Department of History at the University of Washington invites
applications for a six-month (two-quarter) position in Late Antiqui-
ty to begin in January of 1997. Applicants should have completed or
nearly completed the Ph.D. degree and be highly qualified for under-
graduate teaching. The successful candidate will be expected to
teach an introductory survey class in the ancient world and an up-
per-division lecture class on Late Antiquity as well as advanced
undergraduate seminars in his or her field of specialization. The
Department is also commencing a search to make a tenure-track ap-
pointment in Late Antiquity to begin in September 1997. Applica-
tions, including c.v., a statement of research and teaching inter-
ests, and three letters of recommendation, should be sent to Profes-
sor Carol Thomas, Department of History, Box 353560, University of
Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Priority will be given to applica-
tions received before September 1, 1996. The University of Washing-
ton is building a culturally diverse faculty and strongly encourages
application from female and minority candidates. AA/EOE.
Byron Nakamura
Department of History
Box 353560
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
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COMPUTER NOTES
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ANNOUNCEMENT OF ORB WEB SITE
I am happy to announce that the ORB site for Late Antiquity in the
Mediterranean, of which I am the editor, is open for inspection at
http://www.unipissing.ca/department/history/orb/lt-atest.htm
It should be shortly available from the main ORB site at the Univer-
sity of Kansas. The Online Resource Book for Medieval Studies (ORB)
is extensive and growing all the time. Check it out if you haven't
seen it. (You can get there from most of the pages in my Late Antiq-
uity site.)
One of the major features of the site in its present version is an
*Overview of Late Antiquity* written by me. I would appreciate com-
mentary on it. The first page of the *Overview* is at:
http://www.unipissing.ca/department/history/orb/ovindex.htm
Also, most of my "Select Bibliography of Late Antiquity" is posted.
It is just a first stab, made up of some of my favorites and a few
suggestions from the members of the LT-ANTIQ list. It could use a
lot of improvement, and all suggestions will be taken in good part.
Remember I am not trying for an *exhaustive* biblio here; rather a
fairly short *introductory* bibliography suitable for people --
whether specialists in other areas or non-academics -- who don't
know a great deal about Late Antiquity or a certain sub-area of it,
and want to get started.
If you have exhaustive bibliographies on relevant subjects, please
send them! (Notify me first if possible.)
Finally, I'd love to hear about images and maps relevant to the
*Overview*, or useful in some other way to students of Late Antiqui-
ty.
Steve Muhlberger
Nipissing University
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WEB SITE:
ASSOCIATION POUR LA DIFFUSION DE L'INFORMATION
HISTORIQUE ET ARCHEOLOGIQUE EN FRANCE
Communique du president de l'A.D.I.H.A.F. (Association pour la Dif-
fusion de l'Information Historique et Archeologique en France):
Notre association loi 1901, creee en avril 1996, a pour objet de
"promouvoir la diffusion et la valorisation de l'information en his-
toire et en archeologie ". Afin de realiser au mieux cet objectif,
nous venons de mettre en place un service web a l'adresse suivante:
http://www.arisitum.org/index.htm. Il est accessible par tous les
francophones interesses par ces deux themes de recherche (qu'ils
soient professionnels, amateurs ou neophytes). L'acces a toute l'in-
formation que notre web diffuse est totalement gratuit (nous ne fai-
sons payer aucune cotisation, aucun abonnement, aucun droit d'acces,
etc.). Par contre, pour ce qui concerne notamment la publicite a
caractere commercial (en histoire comme en archeologie), il sera
demande une participation aux frais de mise en page ou de location
d'espace publicitaire.
Notre web vous propose differentes rubriques:
- CHRONIQUES DE FRANCE: publication de textes et documents d'ar-
chives publiques ou privees (vieux francais, roman, latin medieval,
etc.).
- TRIBUNE LIBRE: vous pouvez exprimer vos idees et vos opinions sur
un sujet ou un theme particulier (relatifs a l'histoire et/ou l'ar-
cheologie en France).
- DOCUMENTATION: publication d'articles (si vous desirez que votre
publication soit inseree sur notre web, ou si vous desirez promou-
voir votre travail universitaire, envoyez-nous un courrier, un fax
ou un mail a l'adresse indiquee au bas de cette page, nous vous pro-
poserons des solutions adaptees a vos besoins).
- INFOS POUR TOUS: ce journal mensuel d'informations vous propose
principalement des liens sur le WWW (services ou pages relatifs a
l'histoire et/ou l'archeologie en France). Dans quelques temps, il
presentera aussi les organismes francais (publics ou prives) qui
oeuvrent dans les milieux historiques et archeologiques ainsi que de
nombreuses informations pratiques.
- SERVICES: il s'agit de la liste des services dont vous pouvez be-
neficier sur notre web (envoyer des transcriptions de documents ou
des articles en vue de leur publication, proposer un theme de re-
flexion, ou bien la creation d'une nouvelle rubrique, etc.).
Notre adresse mail: webmaster@arisitum.org
ou bien: adihaf@mnet.fr
President de l'Association: Jean-Claude TOUREILLE.
adihaf@mnet.fr
http://www.arisitum.org/index.htm
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WEB SITE:
TRANSLATED BYZANTINE SOURCES
I have now complete the preliminary version of the bibliography of
translated byzantine sources [translated that is, into western Euro-
pean languages.] I am sure it is not complete but it includes a
great number of such sources.
Eventually I will place it on the Byzantine Studies web site
[http://www.bway.net/~halsall/byzantium/html] in HTML marked up
form. Since even I have some scruples about sending out a file that
is 139k in size to entire lists, I will send a copy to anybody who
emails me for it. I am particularly interested in extra suggestions
of texts. The bibliography covers the followig areas:
CONTENTS
A: Byzantine Source Collections
TABLE I Byzantine Source Collections - In Original Languages
TABLE II Byzantine Source Collections - In Translation
B: Byzantine Historiography
TABLE I Byzantine Historians
TABLE II Byzantine Chronographers
TABLE III The Greek Tradition
TABLE IV The Latin Tradition
C: Byzantine Political Documents
TABLE I Byzantine Political Documents
TABLEIV Byzantine Military Texts
D: Byzantine Legal Documents
TABLE I Byzantine Legal Texts - Collections and Codes
TABLE II Byzantine Legal Texts - Decrees, Edicts
E: Byzantium - Contemporary Descriptions
F: Byzantine Church History Documents
TABLE I Church Document Collections
TABLE II Church Councils
TABLE III Monastic Documents
TABLE III Church History Documents
TABLE IV Liturgical Documents
TABLE V Canon Law
G: Byzantine Theological Literature [post 500 CE]
TABLE I Where to Find Texts of 4th and 5th-century Christian Writ-
ers
TABLE II Discourses/Treatises
TABLE III Sermons and Homilies
TABLE IV Spirituality
TABLE IV Controversy with: Heretics; Latins; Jews; and Muslims
H: Byzantine Literature
TABLE I Poetry
TABLE II Other Literature
TABLE III Criticism and Belles Lettres
TABLE IV Selected Secondary Works
I: Byzantine Letter Collections
J: Byzantine Philosophy
K: Byzantine Science
L: Non-Greek Sources for Byzantine History
TABLE I Eastern Sources [Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Persian, Syri-
ac,Turkish]
TABLE II Northern and Western Sources [Latin, Russian, Slavonic,
Western Vernaculars]
TABLE III Crusades
M: Modern Byzantine History Writing
TABLE I Byzantine History: Overviews
TABLE II Byzantine History: Specific Periods Postscript: Byzantine
Jewry
TABLE III Byzantine History: Military
Paul Halsall
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"LATE ANTIQUITY ON THE INTERNET:
THREE WEB SITES"
Michael DiMaio
This month we turn our attention from simply accessing the In-
ternet via a netbrowser such as "Netscape" or the "Microsoft Ex-
plorer" to the more interesting issue of web sites relating to Late
Antiquity on the World Wide Web (WWW in net-speak). As most people
know, the WWW is that part of the Internet which has grown by leaps
and bounds since the late 1980s and is the most popular part of the
'Net today, and is likely to remain so in the foreseeable future.
This is due to the fact that the WWW is very alluring because the
various web sites often combine a myriad of graphical, audio, and
textual files which easily draw the web users attention. Additonal-
ly, a Webbrowser makes the WWW easy to access even for the greenest
newbie.
A web site is a self contained unit dealing with a specific
topic, organization, or business. They range from such organiza-
tions as CNN (http://www.cnn.com) or the F.B.I. (http://www.fbi.gov)
to the Lawrence Arabia Factfiles (http://www.u-net.com/chpress/teweb
/home), a particular favorite site of mine. If one blunders his or
her way to a unknown site, one can easily get lost unless one maps
the site with a piece of site mapping software such as Netcarta's
"CyberPilot Pro" which will produce a diagram of the site that looks
very similar to a directory tree of a h.d.d.(hardrive) on a P.C.
Not only does this program list all the html files, but also all
graphic files and structure of the site. We, however, shall focus
our attention on three sites in this edition of *LAN*:
the De Imperatoribus Romanis site
(http://www.salve.edu/~dimaiom/deimprom.html),
the Online Reference Book of Medieval Studies
(http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/ kansas/orb/mainpage.html), and
Byzantium: the Byzantine Studies Page
(http://www.bway.net/~halsall/byzntium.html)
But first, some general comments about web sites.
Web sites are composed of series of files interlocked by hyper-
text; the relationship of these files is analogous to a stack of
nested mixing bowls. All files in a particular site can be related
to one another and, in turn, linked to files on a remote site. Some
sites deal with a multiplicity of issues, while others are locations
that deal with one issue only. Sites can be managed by individuals
or by editorial committees. The latter are particularly important
to those in academia because material published on such a site is
not different from an article published in a learned journal, espe-
cially if an editorial board takes its job seriously. The De Impe-
ratoribus Romanis, a new site, is an online encyhclopedia of Roman
emperors from Augustus to Constantine Dragases; this site is a fa-
vorite of mine because I sit on the editorial.board. The site it-
self is just a skeleton on to which individual scholars may link
their articles on various Roman emperors if they so choose as long
as the Editorial Board approves.
Needless to say, this site will only succeed if those scholars
of Classics or Ancient History find that it serves as a useful ref-
erence tool. This site consists of eight html files which do two
things: 1) provide the user with easy access to the various learned
essays on the different emperors and 2) give the reader specific
directions on how to prepare articles for publication on the DIR. By
the way, in case any one is wondering, we are indeed hoping that
some of the readers of *LAN* will consider submitting material for
publication at our site.
We turn from De Imperatoribus Romanis to the Online Reference
Book for Medieval Studies, more commonly know as the ORB. This
site, which has the potential of becoming one of the most massive on
the 'Net, has is an excellent stopping place for browsing and, in my
estimation, one the most useful sites for students of Late Antiqui-
ty that is currently open. This site is peer reviwed, as is De Im-
peratoribus Romanis, and is divided into five subsections. The sub-
sections are: 1) About Orb, 2) The ORB Encyclopedia, 3) Resources
for Teaching, 4) The ORB Library Connection, and 5)The ORBN Refer-
ence Shelf. I shall discuss each of these in turn.
The first section of the ORB deals with the Editorial Board of
the ORB as well as providing the user of the ORB with the rules to
follow in order to submit material for possible publication as part
of this site. If any discerning reader looks closely at these
aforementioned rules, s/he will quickly conclude that they look sus-
piciously like the rules which the DIR uses for publication of em-
peror essays on its site. Indeed, this is the case because the DIR,
for all intents and purposes is a child of the ORB. When the rules
for the former site were constructed, all the Editorial Board of
the DIR (= Dr. Michael DiMaio, in this case) did was to modify the
ORB rules to suit its own needs; this was done, of course, with the
permission of the ORB.
On the WWW, there is a lot of cross-pollination; in other
words, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The second por-
tion of the site is an online encyclopedia of various topics dealing
with the Middle Ages. Topic run the gamut from Late Antiquity to
the Late Medieval period. Byzantine material,, for example, is sim-
ply a link to Paul Halsall's Byzantium: the Byzantine Studies Page
which is described later in the column; I have it on good authority
that the ORB plans to put its own Byzantine section online. Be
warned that, since the ORB is a work in progress, not all essays
listed are completed so the user should consult the encyclopedia
index with a great deal of care. The third section (Resources for
Teaching), still under construction, is made up of Paul Halsall's
Online Medieval Source Book, a selection of course syllabi for me-
dieval studies, and "related materials." The second and third por-
tion of this section of the site are spotty at best and still under
construction.
Halsall's source book is useful and has some late antique mate-
rial; the syllabi, not all of those listed are available, are
strictly medieval, but worth looking at; and the "related materials"
include such topics as "How to Take Exams," "Dictionary of
Medieval
Terms," "Study Guide for Medieval Survey," and "Timeline of
Medieval
History." I have just provided a sampling of these essay titles.
Although the hypertext links are listed for these essays, not all of
them are available at this time. The ORB Library Connection is sim-
ply a collection of links to other servers, as well as the ORB serv-
ers at Kansas State University and Rhodes College, which link the
user to various full etexts(electronic texts) of authors that are or
would be useful in the study of the Middles Ages. Such authors as
Aristotle and the writers of Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene
Fathers series that are available here. Once again, not all links
are necessarily active at one time.
A good rule of thumb is that, the larger the site, the less
likely its manager will be able to make sure that all the hypertext
links will be available at any one time. The fifth and final sec-
tion of this site, The Reference Shelf, includes bibliographies,
graphics, software, other useful sites , and general reference
materials. Only the links to bibliographies and other useful sites
are active at this time. The bibliographies include one on general
Roman history holdings at the University of Kansas and one of Roman
limites. The section on other useful sites is exactly as labeled.
From our discussion of the ORB, we turn to Paul Halsall's site
Byzantium: Byzantine Studies on the Internet
(http://www.bway.net/~halsall/byzntium.html). This site might be
best described as the crossroads on the 'Net on the whole area of
Byzantine Studies. There is no other site quite like it. Like the
ORB, there are a lot of hypertext links which are not yet active
and, unfortunately, one can only determine which ones work by test-
ing them. Paul manages to run herd on the whole site and, in my
estimation, does a good job at managing the whole thing in spite of
the site's potential size (Halsall maintains a lot of links which
are external to his own site). He does let you know, however,
which parts of his site are operational and which are still under
development. This web site is divided into a number of different
sections, although (in my opinion) these divisions are less formal
than those of the ORB. He has a wonderful introduction which is a
good introduction to the history of the Eastern Roman Empire as well
as to the academic discipline of Byzantine Studies. He has some
interesting comments about the religious/political underpinnings of
the subject area. The first section one encounters on this site is
entitled "Top Billing" which is essentially just a listing of any
important conferences on Byzantine Studies or museum exhibit which
may be in operation at a particular time; in essence it summarizes
the content of the site. For example, the Metropolitan Museum of
Art's upcoming Byzantine Exhibition is touched on. Following this
section, the site is divide into a number of areas: 1) News, 2) A-
cademic and Teaching Resources, 3) Texts and Images, 4) Links, and
5) 'Net Search Engines.
The first section is simply a listing of conferences and calls
for papers in Byzantine, Late Antique, and Medieval Studies. In the
section entitled "Academic and Teaching Resources" one can find By-
zantine Studies syllabi, Byzantine Studies course outlines, refer-
ence documents for Byzantine culture, software, and bibliographic
guides in Byzantine Studies. For example, the Editorial Board of
the DIR, with some judicious editing, used the list of Byzantine and
Roman emperors in this section of the site as the basis of the Impe-
rial Index which is the heart of the DIR.
The next section, which deals with texts and images, has an
archive of Byzantine e-texts which Halsall is attempting to expand.
Additonally, he has links to the Medieval Source Book, Byzantine
Studies articles and reviews of books dealing with some aspect of
Byzantium as well as a list of the various email lists on the topic.
Finally, he includes what is called the Gallery which contains links
to images of Byzantine art as well as images of Byazntine religious
and historical material. I plan to spend a lot of time here myself
investigating! The next area entitled "Links" is self-explanitory
in light of my comments about similar material in the previous para-
graph. The last section dealing with search engines is beyond the
bounds of this particular column. I plan to take this issue up in
my next column. I will conclude that, if any of you have a site that
you would like me to review or describe, feel free to contact me.
Michael DiMaio, Ph.D
Department of Philosophy
Salve Regina University
Newport, RI
mdimaio@ids.net.
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STUDIES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Procopius on the Nika Riots: Wars i.23-24
K. Adshead
(Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand)
Procopius' treatment of the Nika Riots in Wars i.24 has seemed
to commentators forced and artificial. The previous chapter de-
scribed a plot (epiboule) against Chosrhoes; now the historian un-
dertakes to describe comparable plotting against Justinian.
"Straightway it came about that plots were formed against both
rulers by their subjects; and I shall now explain how this
happened" (Wars i.23.1)
The two chapters are presented as a type of diptych, centred on the
two ruling personalities, each faced at the same time by unrest in
his own domain.
In fact, in both cases, the plotting motif is nebulous. On the
Persian side, the story is not so much of the wholly ineffective,
even embryonic, plot against Chosrhoes, as of Chosrhoes' implacable
vengeance on the alleged plotters; and indeed the tale as told by
Procopius has many elements of a folk story - foster parents being
unable to carry out the cruel order to dispose of a boy of royal
birth and their attempt to deceive the tyrant into thinking his com-
mand had been obeyed is a theme as old as storytelling - while the
second, unrelated episode is no plot at all but simply describes
with exotic detail ("going to the tripod") how Chosrhoes executed an
innocent man. The Byzantine side of the diptych is completely dif-
ferent. The Nika Riots are presnted as a dangerous outbreak of
"stasis", civil war (Wars i.24.1), later as war (polemos) itself
(Wars i.24.17) between the two factions of the demos; Justinian is
said to suspect the hand of Anastasius' nephews, Hypatius and Pom-
peius, but the question is left open and, if anything, Procopius
fosters the impression that there never had been a plot at all.
As an analysis of the riots ch.24 seems at first blush disap-
pointing, to say the least. Averil Cameron writes,
In the Wars there is no point in looking for a real insight
into the Nika revolt, because Procopius' very attitudes
prevented him from discussing these events in a genuinely
critical fashion" (Procopius, p.144).
The unsatisfactory pairing of these bracketed chapters is thus, for
her, the product of "stereotyped attitudes" on Procopius' part -
personality is for him the motor of history and, in however forced a
fashion, he insists on a confrontation of the two emperors at this
point, regardless of the intractabilty of the context. We need look
no further than an overemphasis on character for our strange dip-
tych.
There is, however, another explanation. Procopius' mimesis of
Thucydides has never been seriously doubted and it holds the key to
what is being attempted here. Wars 1 is Procopius at his most mi-
metic. Braun noted in 1885,
Non denique omnes Thucydidis libros aequabiliter imitatus est
Procopius, sed fere dimidia omnium imitationum pars ex primo
Thucydidis libro hausta est...
(H.Braun, Procopius Caesariensis quatenus imitatus sit
Thucydiden, p.4).
Braun's parallels are purely verbal and non-thematic but his point
holds good for the wider comparison also. Thus, when towards the
end of Thucydides' first book (chs.128-138) we find the elaborate
pairing of Themistocles the Athenian and Pausanias the Spartan,
might this atypical but well known excursus have some light to cast
on what is clearly an imitatio in Procopius? What is Thucydides
really doing in this passage? Simon Hornblower has recently sug-
gested, "Thucydides is here introducing us to the two protagonists,
Athens and Sparta, via a sketch of a great citizen of each" (A Com-
mentary on Thucydides,Volume i: Books i-iii, p.212). In the pride
and arrogance of the one and the wily and suspect cunning of the
other, it is not too much to say that the whole ethos of their re-
spective poleis is delineated - it is political as well as psycho-
logical insight of the highest order. This celebrated passage will
have been as well known to Procopius as the description of the
plague or the siege of Plataea - he was as capable as we of taking
Thucydides' point.
If, then, Wars i.23-24 is modelled on Histories i.128-138, how
would that work out in practice? What characteristics in the lead-
ing dramatis personae are felt significant? What diagnosis of the
competing empires is being imposed? To take Chosrhoes and the Per-
sian Empire first. Chosrhoes is said to be lacking in self-control
and erratically interested in any new project. He is prone to ad-
verse moods, filled with disturbance. From such a disposition Pro-
copius has and will diagnose Persian initiatives towards Byzantium
as erratic and impetuous - see, for example, Wars i.22.9, overreac-
tion to a false rumour and Wars ii.1.1 a sudden new departure, the
use of Al Mundhir to fight a proxy war - in both passages there are
deliberate verbal echoes of the original analysis in i.23.1.
When we turn to Byzantium, there is a complication. Procopius
cannot criticize Justinian in the same direct and forceful manner!
So John the Cappadocian and Tribonian, quaestor sacri palatii, are
made to bear the brunt of the historian's attacks (Wars i.24.11-15).
What is interesting, though, is that the vices singled out, lack of
culture (paideia) in the one, John of Cappadocia, and excessive love
of money (philokhrematos) in the other, Tribonian, are exactly those
for which Procopius castigates Justinian in the Secret History.
Under such an emperor, then, it is being implied, Byzantium is bound
to suffer from inept direction and revenue-starved disillusion, as
is discreetly made plain even in the text of Wars. Note, for in-
stance, the reaction of the then quaestor, Proclus, to the proposal
that Justin and Justinian should adopt the barbarian Chosrhoes,
(Wars i.11), while in Wars ii.7.37, the defection of the Beroea gar-
rison is attributed to their pay being long in arrears. For Justin-
ian's basic ineptitude, as Procopius saw it, see SH 7.3 (compared to
a donkey) and for his stinginess to the military, see SH 24 passim.
How are these flaws tied in (a) to the theme of plots on both
sides of the frontier and (b) to the analysis, which Thucydides'
excursus might suggest is being given, of the two belligerents?
Surely, in the case of Persia, Procopius is depicting the Sassanid
regime as an unstable reign of terror where innocent people, however
high their rank, are not secure, while in Byzantium, the Nika riots
are truly symptomatic of a government which oscillates between ill-
judged laissez-faire and unscrupulous and unpredictable financial
chicanery. There may then after all be more to these two chapters
than personalities. There may be a not uninteresting analysis of
two equally unhappy political systems.
Bibliography of works cited:
1. Averil Cameron, Procopius (London, 1985)
2. H. Braun, Procopius Caesariensis quatenus imitatus sit Thucydiden
(Erlangen, 1885)
3. S. Hornblower, A Commentary on Thucydides - Volume i, Books i-iii
(Oxford, 1991)
Dr. K. Adshead
Classics Department
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
k.adshead@clas.canterbury.ac.nz
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Late Antiquity Newsletter 1.2 (1996)
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