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Aspects of the Process of Hellenization in the Early Middle Ages*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2013

Extract

In the winter months of A.D. 905–6 Arethas, Archbishop of Caesarea, unwillingly made the difficult journey from Constantinople to the Byzantine province of Hellas, central Greece. The official reason for this visit was to reconsecrate several churches which had been defiled and pillaged by raiders, probably Bulgars, but there was another reason why the vociferous archbishop should be removed from the capital. In September 905 Zoe, mistress of the Emperor Leo VI, had given birth to a child Constantine, Leo's first son and heir. While this event was joyfully celebrated by the entire court, it provoked dismay and alarm among ecclesiastics such as Arethas. For the emperor had already been married three times and to take a fourth wife was against the canons of the Orthodox Church.

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Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 1973

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References

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15 Theophanes, , Chronographia, ed. de Boor, C. (Leipzig, 18831885), 456, 485, 486, 490–1, 495–6, 497–503.Google Scholar

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18 These two aspects were of particular importance in the Hellenization of the Slavs; other aspects which are not treated here, for example the preservation of ancient Greek learning, will form the subject of a separate article.

19 To speak of the ‘extermination’ of the Greek race is incorrect, as it is quite clear from the sources that the indigenous Greeks did not simply disappear for ever. Cf. Hood, Sinclair, ‘Isles of Refuge in the Early Byzantine Period’, BSA lxv (1970), 3744, and p. 118 below.Google Scholar

20 Tougard, A., De l'histoire profane dans les actes grecs des Bollandistes (Paris, 1874), 166.Google Scholar

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This list has nothing to do with an ecclesiastical Notitia. On the presence of κομμερκιάριοι in the area see Antoniadis-Bibicou, H., Recherches sur les douanes à Byzance (Paris, 1963), 157–91Google Scholar; in the list of seals, nos. 17, 42, 56, 58, 67, 82, 83, 85, 86 indicate the existence of these officials, though not all these seals can be securely dated.

22 A tenth-century oration recounts, ‘We are no longer called “Scythian” or “barbarian” or I know not what, but may be named and shown to be Christians and sons of God and travail of the Spirit.’ The complete text was published by Uspensky, F., Letopis of the Historico-Philological Society of the University of Novorossiya iv (Byzantine section 2) 1894, 5594Google Scholar, relevant passage 67–8. The oration was formerly attributed to Arethas but has now been shown to be the work of Theodoros Daphnopates; see Jenkins, R. J. H., ‘The Peace with Bulgaria (927) celebrated by Theodore Daphnopates’, Polychronion. Festschrift F. Dolger (Heidelberg, 1966), 287303Google Scholar (reprinted in the author's Studies). The relevant passage is reproduced on 289 and translated on 293.

23 Theophanes, op. cit. 347–8, 364, 374.

24 Nikephoros, , Opuscula Historka, ed. de Boor, C. (Leipzig, 1880), 66Google Scholar; Theophanes, op. cit. 359, 429, 432.

25 The theory of linguistic continuity was first developed by Rohlfs, G., Scavi linguistici nella Magna Graeca (Rome, 1933)Google Scholar, since when it has aroused great controversy; see the works of Parlangèli, O., particularly ‘L'importanza dell'elemento greco nella storia linguistica dell'Italia meridionale,’ Akten des XI internationalen Byzantinisten-Kongresses (Munich, 1960), 445–9.Google ScholarKaratzas, S., L'Origine des dialectes néo-grecs de l'Italie méridionale (Paris, 1958)Google Scholar, has summarized the arguments and concluded in support of Rohlfs, but this position is not universally accepted; see, for example, P. Courcelle, op. cit. 336–8.

26 Butler, A. J., The Arab Conquest of Egypt and the last thirty years of Roman domination (Oxford, 1902), 439–64.Google Scholar

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28 ‘Life of S. Stephen the Younger’, PG 100, col. 1117; Guillou, A., ‘Grecs d'Italie du sud et de Sicile au Moyen Âge; les moines’, MEFR lxxv (1963), 79110CrossRefGoogle Scholar, especially 83 n. 2 (reprinted in the author's Studies on Byzantine Italy (London, 1970)).

29 This theory has been championed for many years by Charanis, P.; see ‘On the question of the hellenization of Sicily and Southern Italy during the Middle Ages’, American Historical Review lii (19461947), 7486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar The author was one of the first to support Ν. Βέης in his belief that the so-called Chronicle of Monemvasia was a reliable historical source. P. Lemerle has confirmed this, but he doubts that a large-scale emigration took place; see Lemerle, op. cit. 19 n. 30. In the context of greater mobility than is generally appreciated, I think that the Chronicle deserves credence, see p. 121.

30 Chronique de Monemvasie, 9–10. A possible identification of Orove is Ὀροβίαι (modem Rovies), in northern Euboia: Sackett, L. H.et al., BSA lxi (1966), 48Google Scholar; Koder, J., Negroponte (Vienna, 1973) 114–15 and pls. 43–5.Google Scholar

31 The migration of the city of Patras with its bishop, mentioned in the Chronicle (Chronique de Monemvasie, 10) is confirmed by the acts of the Seventh Oecumenical Council held in Nikaia in 787. This Council was attended by bishops from several Aegean islands, including Aigina, Euboia, and Skopelos, but not from the mainland centres, Thessalonike, Larissa, Athens, and Corinth. Patras, however, was represented by who signed after the Bishop of Reggio (Calabria) and before the group of Sicilian bishops, see Mansi, op. cit. xiii col. 365. I am most grateful to Paul Speck who brought this important evidence to my attention.

32 Schreiner, P., ‘La Fondation de Monemvasie en 582/3’, Travaux et Mémoires iv (1970), 471–6.Google Scholar

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44 Chronique de Monemvasie, 10; cf. Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio, ed. Moravcsik, G. and Jenkins, R. J. H., (Budapest/London, 19491962), i. 228–30Google Scholar; ii. 184–5; and nn. 7 and 28 above.

45 Chronique de Monemvasie, 10–11; Charanis, P., ‘Nicephorus I, the Savior of Greece from the Slavs (810 A.D.)’, Byzantina-Metabyzantina, i (1946), 7592Google Scholar, reprinted in the author's Studies on the Demography of the Byzantine Empire (London, 1972).

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49 Bloch, H., ‘Monte Cassino, Byzantium and the West’, Dumbarton Oaks Papers iii (1946), 156224Google Scholar; J. Irigoin, op. cit. 46–7, 54–5, on the copying done at Orthodox monasteries.

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53 This claim was made nearly a century later by Pope Zacharias in a letter written to Saint Boniface; see Tangl, M., Monumenta Germania Historiae. Epistolae selectae (Berlin, 1916), i no. 80.Google Scholar It was not known to the Venerable Bede who recorded Theodore's activity in England, in cluding his teaching of Latin and Greek, but it is generally accepted; see, for example, Bury, J. B., A History of the Later Roman Empire 395–800 (London, 1889), ii. 280, 392.Google Scholar

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59 Rossi Taibbi, G., Vita di Sant'Elia il Giovane (Palermo, 1962), 40–4, 54–6, 104–14.Google Scholar

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61 On the effects of these unofficial missionaries see Beck, H.–G., ‘Christliche Mission und politische Propaganda im byzantinischen Reich’, Settimane di studioxiv (Spoleto, 1967), 649–74Google Scholar, especially 654–74 (reprinted in the author's Ideen und Realitaeten in Byzanz (London, 1972)); cf. Thompson, E. A., ‘Christianity and the Northern Barbarians’, The Conflict between Paganism and Christianity in the Fourth Century, ed. Momigliano, A. (Oxford, 1963), 5678Google Scholar; and particularly the powerful analysis by Brown, P., ‘The Rise and Function of the Holy Man in Late Roman Society’, JRS lxxi (1971), 80101Google Scholar; idem, ‘A Dark-Age Crisis: Aspects of the Iconoclastic Controversy’, English Historical Review lxxviii (1973), 1–34, especially 12–21.

62 Vasiliev, A., ‘The Life of Saint David of Thessalonica’, Traditio iv (1946), 115–47CrossRefGoogle Scholar; ibid, v (1947), 191.

63 J. Cozza-Luzi, op. cit. 36–40.

64 G. da Costa-Louillet, op. cit. 115–16, 118, 121; cf. the forthcoming edition of the ‘Life’ of Saint Elias by M. V. Strazzeri. I should like to thank Signorina Strazzeri for showing me the photographs of the manuscript Cod. Messinensis gr. 30 on which her new edition is based.

65 In other parts of the empire different agencies brought about the integration of the Slavs; in the case of Saint Ioannikios the army played as important a role as the Church, see Vryonis, S., ‘St. Ioannicius the Great (754–846) and the “Slavs” of Bithynia’, Byzantion xxxi (1961), 245–8Google Scholar, reprinted in the author's Byzantium.

66 J. Mansi, op. cit. xvii. 373–7.

67 V. Grumel, op. cit. nos. 636 (letter of Patriarch Nikolaos to the governor of Hellas); 706, to Archbishop Niketas of Athens; 735, to Archbishop Andreas of Patras; and 745, to Archbishop Philippos of Larissa. When his brother Paul was appointed to the see of Corinth, Saint Peter of Argos decided to go with him to the Peloponnese to avoid further disputes with the patriarch.

68 J. Cozza-Luzi, op. cit. 39–42; A. Vasiliev, The ‘Life’ of Saint Peter of Argos, 176. Both men had established a reputation for holiness as ascetics before they were appointed bishops, cf. The Life of Saint George of Amastris, ed. Vasilievskii, op. cit. 17–25.

69 AE 1931, 119–57; Megaw, A. H. S., ‘The Skripou screen’, BSA lxi (1966), 132Google Scholar; Strzygowski, J., ‘Inedita der Architektur und Plastik aus der Zeit Basilios I’, Byzantinische Zeitschrift iii (1894), 116CrossRefGoogle Scholar, especially 3–12.

70 Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum, ed. Boeckh, A. (Berlin, 1877) iv, no. 8686Google Scholar; Σωτηρίου, Γ., ‘Ο ἐνήβαις ΒυƷαντινό ναὸς Γρηγοίου τοῦ θεολόγουAE 1924 126.Google Scholar

71 Κωνσταντόπουλος, Κ.Ἐπιγραφὴ ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἁγίου ἰωάννου Μαγκούτη’, Ἑταιρείας βυƷαντινῶνΣπουδῶν viii (1931) 252–4Google Scholar; Β. Ἀτέσης, ‘Ἡ ἐπισκοπὴ Σκὑρου ἀνὰ τοὺς αἰῶνας’, ibid. xv (1939), 103–4.

72 Millet, G., L'École grecque dans l' architecture byzantine (Paris, 1916).Google Scholar

73 Trypanis, C. A., Medieval and Modem Greek Poetry (Oxford, 1951), 43–4.Google Scholar

74 Cameniates, John, De excidio Thessalonicensi, ed. Bekker, I. (Bonn, 1838), 506Google Scholar; Theophanes Continuatus, op. cit. 364. For the attack on the coast of Attica see R. J. H. Jenkins, B. Laourdas, and C. A. Mango, op. cit. (n. 9 above) 13–14. 31.

75 An eye-witness account is given by John Cameniates, op. cit.

76 Ν. Βέης, op. cit. (n. 7 above); Σάθας, Κ., Χρονικόν ἀνέκδοτον … (Athens, 1865), 192–5Google Scholar; Γ. Κρέμος, op. cit. 148.

77 Cf. n. 33 above.

78 A. Boeckh, op. cit. nos. 9358; 9378; op. cit. 103–4.

79 Genesius, , Regna, ed. Lachmann, C. (Bonn, 1838), 47–8Google Scholar; cf. n. 83 above.

80 Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Cerimoniis Aulae Byzantinae, ed. Reiske, J. J. (Bonn, 1829), i. 657.Google Scholar

81 Theophanes, op. cit. 440, 453. People at court made fun of Sophia's father, Niketas Rendakis, not because he was a Slav but because of his pretensions to high-born status, see Theophanes Continuatus, op. cit. 413; Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Thematibus 91. Sophia not only established herself at court, she also retained the title of Empress after the premature death of her husband; see ‘Life of S. Luke the Stylite’, ed. H. Delehaye, Les Saints Stylites (Brussels, 1923), 214.