A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from History's Most Orthodox EmpireWeird, decadent, degenerate, racially mixed, superstitious, theocratic, effeminate, and even hyper-literate, Byzantium has long been regarded by many as one big curiosity. According to Voltaire, it represented "a worthless collection of miracles, a disgrace for the human mind"; for Hegel, it was "a disgusting picture of imbecility." A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities will churn up these old prejudices, while also stimulating a deeper interest among readers in one of history's most interesting civilizations. Many of the zanier tales and trivia that are collected here revolve around the political and religious life of Byzantium. Thus, stories of saints, relics, and their miracles-from the hilarious to the revolting-abound. Byzantine bureaucracy (whence the adjective "Byzantine"), court scandals, and elaborate penal code are world famous. And what would Byzantium be without its eunuchs, whose ambiguous gender produced odd and risible outcomes in different contexts? The book also contains sections on daily life that are equally eye-opening, including food (from aphrodisiacs to fermented fish sauce), games such as polo and acrobatics, and obnoxious views of foreigners and others (e.g., Germans, Catholics, Arabs, dwarves). But lest we overlook Byzantium's more honorable contributions to civilization, also included are some of the marvels of Byzantine science and technology, from the military (flamethrowers and hand grenades) to the theatrical ("elevator" thrones, roaring mechanical lions) and medical (catheters and cures, some bizarre). This vast assortment of historical anomaly and absurdity sheds vital light on one of history's most obscure and orthodox empires. |
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Contents
1 | |
Chapter II Unorthodox Sex | 15 |
Chapter III Animals | 31 |
Chapter IV Food and Dining | 45 |
Chapter V Eunuchs | 57 |
Chapter VI Medical Practice | 69 |
Chapter VII Science and Technology | 79 |
Chapter VIII WarBy Any Means | 95 |
Chapter XIII Punishments | 145 |
Chapter XIV Foreign Lands and People ad 330641 | 159 |
Chapter XV Foreigners and Stereotypes ad 6411453 | 171 |
Chapter XVI Latins Franks and Germans | 185 |
Chapter XVII DisastersMostly Acts of God | 197 |
Chapter XVIII The Emperors | 209 |
Glossary | 223 |
Coin Images | 229 |
Chapter IX A Menagerie of Saints | 109 |
Chapter X Heresy and Scandal | 119 |
Chapter XI A Gallery of Rogues | 131 |
Chapter XII Inventive Insults | 141 |
Illustration Credits | 233 |
Notes | 235 |
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Common terms and phrases
Alexandria Alexiad Alexios I Komnenos Alexios III Angelos Ammianus Marcellinus Andreas Andronikos II Palaiologos animals Anna Komnene Antioch Arabs army Balsamon Basil Basil II Basileios bishop body Bulgarian Byzantium called Canon castrated Choniates Christ Christian Chronicle Chronographia Church Council doctors Doukas Ecclesiastical History Eirene eleventh century emperor Alexios emperor Konstantinos empire empress Ethiopian Eudokia eunuchs Eustathios father genitals Georgios Goths Greek Hagia Sophia Herakleios hippodrome historian holy icons imperial Ioannes Malalas Isaakios Jerusalem Justinian kill king Konstantinos VII Latin Leon Letter Liudprand lived Madrid Skylitzes Manuel I Komnenos marriage married Michael III Michael Psellos monastery monk Nikephoros II Phokas palace patriarch of Constantinople Persians pope Prokopios Roman Romanos II Rome Saint Artemios sent sexual sixth century soldier stylite Symeon testicles Theodoros Theodosios Theophanes the Confessor Theophilos Thessalonike throne twelfth century Tzetzes wife woman women wrote