Paper and Finals!

I've not updated in a long while due to school work. In fact, I'm just taking a short break right now from revising my paper. It is an historiography/intellectual genealogy of Walter Kaegi, a prominent Byzantinist. Unfortunately for me, it was not especially well-liked by the prof (even thought I stuck exactly to the instructions in the syllabus), who wants me to rewrite it in a very droll way. Woe be to vivid writing! And with that, I must return to the drudgeries of trying to decipher very messy professor-scribbles in the margins. Adieu!

By Popular Demand

Well I have been asked to make another illusion to Byzantine history from modern day occurrences. Specifically, one similar to Guy Ritchie and Madonna obtaining a divorce. Hmmm. I thought about this one and finally realized one parallel. The Byzantine equivalent might be Theophano and her assorted husbands. Theophano was empress of the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire. She became empress in 959 when her then-consort Romanos II died rather abruptly at a young age. Not wanting to risk court intrigue while her two sons were still underage, she married a popular general named Nikephoros Phokas. It was strictly a marriage of convenience and there is reason to believe they never consummated the marriage (he was about 25-30 years older than she was). She became unhappy with his bold, unilateral personality (Sean Penn?) and wanted to get rid of him. Therefore, she took another popular general, Ioannes (John) Tzimiskes, as her lover. They eventually killed Nikephoros and Ioannes became emperor. All was not well with the Patriarch Polyeuktos who discovered their murderous plot after the fact. Facing damnation, Ioannes made a deal with Polyeuktos: in order to legitimize his rule, he packed Theophano off to a nunnery and also condemned his co-conspirators. And then Ioannes released Rock-n-Rolla, which was a pretty good movie. Err, I mean he defeated the Rus' invasion of Byzantium lead by Svyatoslav.

So how much in common does this have with Guy and Madge? I'm not sure. Theophano and Madonna both run through the male species rather well. It also seems that Guy, Nikephoros, and Ioannes did not want to put up with their companions any longer. Guy and Ioannes both moved on after the separation, and for the better. But it worked out in the end, Guy made the aforementioned movie (which certainly beat the snot out of the terrible 'Swept Away') and will be making a sequel, whereas Ioannes destroyed the Rus' armies and conquered Bulgaria. Pretty astounding accomplishments for both, I say. In closing, I would like to say 'please do not take this comparison seriously, it is just a joke.'

The Ruffled Apron

This post has no connection with history whatsoever, but there is a website (see link to the left) called the Ruffled Apron. On this site you will see cards, knitted items, and aprons. All are hand-made, one by one by a talented individual. It is a wonderful place for gifts, go check it out!

'Elections' in Byzantium

Okay, here is a tidy way to bring both current news (elections) and very old news (Byzantine succession) in my blog.

So how did the Byzantine handle a situation like today, where, for the uneducated mob there was no clear choice for successor to the emperor? Well if there was no heir of royal blood (Jeb Bush?), then there would almost always be some sort of civil war. Two or more claimants to the throne would duke it out in classic battle royale, or siege royale, or whatever.

In order to increase the comparison with today, let us say one potential leader was a veteran in the army, popular with the troops but not trusted by the Constantinopolitan elite. The other possibility is the darling of the bureaucracy, not well-known but a gifted showman and wealthy, to boot. So who would win in this historical tossup? Typically, whoever could secure the loyalty of the army, with their weapons and vim, would emerge victorious (today, politicians rely not on the military, but on swaying the masses: those with wallets and short attention spans). But long story short, it could be anyone's game. Possessing the capital was important, as was the army. There were instances when an emperor, cozied up in Constantinople, resisted for years assault and blockade and withstood the usurper. On the other hand, many who controlled the military easily ousted the rebel cloistered in the city. So, to repeat the point above, only time could tell.

Addendum

Something I forgot to add last night:

Obama mentioned he wanted to "spread the wealth around." Of what does this remind you? Maybe a socialist? Or a Marxist, sans the revolution? Just hearing him says that sends shivers down my spine. But Halloween is drawing nearer, so maybe it is just Obama's way of terrifying the nation before holiday.

Disappointment

Well, tonight's debate was surprisingly dull. I was hoping for something a bit more entertaining than, basically, a rehash of the most recent debate. Say, if McCain began slapping Obama for his little smirks, all the while yelling incomprehensible Vietnamese insults - that would have been nice. Or at least some harsh grilling concerning the ACORN or William Ayers issues.

But no. We get Bob Schieffer. Bob-freakin-Schieffer! I mean, come on! And what was with his questions? Why were they so indirect? Was he intending for the American people to find some great revelation within the microcosmic questions he delivered? He must have forgotten where he put the actual questions, after neglecting to take his ginkgo biloba supplement.

Here is an actual, incredibly official transcript exerpt:

Moderator (Schieffer): How do your feelings toward Godzilla movies help the American people view your would-be administration? Senator McCain, we will start with you.

Sen. McCain: Look, I'm a war hero, look at my record. Senator Obama is a liberal turd, look at his record. Look at my record, then look at his record.

Moderator: Senator Obama, reply.

Sen. Obama: No I'm not. I'm not a liberal. I am actually Ronald Reagan in disguise. And that is a fundamental difference between Senator McCain and I. (Smirk)

Moderator: ZZZzzzz.....

In short, the debate was lame. Obama just repeated the same opinions he gave last time, added a few things/mistruths (saying he was never for abortion?), and played it safe. And smirked. McCain took a few shots, but nothing drastic. He should have went for the jugular like a starving lion. After all, if you believe the polls ('Obama gains an unprecedented 103% lead' says NYT poll), McCain had nothing to lose. Oh well. All we have to do now is wait until November 4th and see what else happens.

Great Debate!

Nice rhyme, no?

OK, so the town hall presidential debate between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama was on tonight (Tuesday, October 7th). Some might disagree, but it seems to me that Mac came out the victor.

Concerning the economy, it seems that it was 'he said, (s)he said' situation, even if Obama's record does condemn him to being one of the most liberal senators in the United States (on other issues, as well). Obama really did not dispute this, either.

Energy was a hot topic tonight. McCain favored the 'drill, baby, drill' policy as well as moving to alternative energy, emphasizing nuclear power. (Just for the record, I have supported an increase in reliance upon nuclear power since the seventh grade. No, seriously.) Obama mentioned nothing new.

Foreign policy has almost always been my favorite topic. Hands down, McCain pummeled Obama on these issues. Let me use a stark simile: If the debate was a Vietnam War movie, one candidate played the grizzled veteran, the other, the naive recruit who blows himself up with a grenade.

From my very brief comments, it is clear I favor McCain. I have for some time now and I apologize for my bias. But a rational human being, who happens to be a citizen of the United States, who likes lower taxes, who supports the war effort, who does not like partisan politics/politicians, and who appreciates and respects traditional American (and fundamentally Christian) values, can not logically vote for Barack Obama.

An Historical Recreation of the World's Greatest City

http://www.byzantium1200.com/


There you go. Just go to that website and be treated to a fantastic picture of what Constantinople might have been in the late 12th century. Many vivid images based on solid archaeological evidence and eyewitness written accounts. Check it out, you won't be sorry (even those who have no passion for Byzantine history will enjoy this).

Der Deutschekurs ist kaput!

Ja! Ich jetzt kann den Deutsche zu sprechen. Gut fur mich.


(If you want a translation, look it up!)

Expensive Books

Here is a musing with a self explanatory title: Why are books in my field so expensive? The out of print titles, the new ones, old ones that are still heavily used, etc. Maybe a conspiracy? I will get to the bottom of it one day.
But first, I will give you a couple of examples of the lowest prices I found online:

Rome and Persia at War, 502-532 - $103 (Published 2007)
In Laudem Iustini Augusti Minoris - $112.20 (Possibly out of print)
Development of the Komnenian Army 1081-1180 - $114.50 (Published 2002)
George Akropolites: The History - $114.90 (2007)
Roman Army: Wars of Empire - $118.98 (Out of Print, but less than 12 years old)
The History of Agathias - $120 (Maybe out of print?)
The History of Menander the Guardsman - $144 (Out of Print, I think, but not that rare)
The Emperor Maurice and His Historian - $147.01 (Still in Print)
Basil II and the Governance of Empire - $152 (2006)
The Age of the Dromon: The Byzantine Navy - $213.00 (Still in print I believe, and not very old)
The Chronography of George Synkellos - $235.73 (Published 2002)
The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor: Byzantine and Near Eastern History - $266.45 (Only a few years old, I believe)

and the Grand Prize Winner is...
The Chronicle of Niketas Choniates - $699.99 (Out of Print). I could buy a whole suit of Imperial Roman lorica segmentata with helmet, gladius, caligae, balteus, and shield for that amount.

There are still about a half-dozen over $100 that I did not mention; and those are the expensive ones...not counting all those that are between $50-$100. Lastly, I would like to ask of any well-to-do philanthropists out there to donate to my book fund (after all, can you really put a price on knowledge? NO! You can't!).

German, to boot!

I have also started a German class, in addition to the Greek and Latin, so hopefully my brain will not explode or melt a la Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I do know one thing: bye-bye free time!

Latin Declensions

I know the Byzantines spoke Greek and not Latin, but let us not forget their Latin Roman origins. So today (after a long absence) for the benefit of the public (all two or three of you) and to help myself study even a little bit more, I will put all noun declensions in this post, except for the vocative case, because that is exactly the same as the nominative in almost all forms.

1st Declension (Feminine endings in -a; singular forms followed by plural forms)
Nominative -a, -ae
Genitive -ae, -arum
Dative -ae, -is
Accusative -am, -as
Ablative -a, -is

2nd Declension (First, Masculine endings in -us; Second, Neuter endings in -um)
Nom. -us, -i -um, -a
Gen. -i, -orum -i, -orum
Dat. -o, -is -o, is
Acc. -um, -os -um, -a
Abl. -o, -is -o, -is

3rd Declension (First, Masc. & Fem.; Second, Neut.)
Nom. varies, -es varies, -a
Gen. -is, -um -is, -um
Dat. -i, -ibus -i, -ibus
Acc. -em, -es varies, -a
Abl. -e, -ibus -e, -ibus

3rd Declensions in -i stems (First, Masc. & Fem.; Second, Neut.)
Nom. -is, -es -e, -ia
Gen. -is, -ium -is, -ium
Dat. -i, -ibus -i, -ibus
Acc. -em, -es -e, -ia
Abl. -e, -ibus -i, -ibus

And I did it without looking at my notes...woohoo.

Excellent Recreations

Here are several fantastic illustrations from the Romano-Byzantine Empire: Depicted above are 6th century troops serving in Italy.

Above is a member of the famous Varangian Guard, note Odin's raven on his shield.

Here we have a 'generic' soldier in possibly the late 9th or 10th centuries, perhaps a tagmatic soldier.

Lastly is a great depiction of Basil II, victorious as always, with a Varangian on his right, and what could be two members of the tagmata on his left.

Favorite Emperors

Well the title says it all. Here is a list, in no particular order, of my 12 favorite Byzantine emperors, each with a very brief reason why they made the list:

1) Basil II - enlarged the empire; created a sizeable gold reserve; generally enhanced Byzantine prestige
2) Justinian I - reconquered vast territories; tireless administrator
3) Maurikios - neutralized Persia; defeated Slavs and Avars; good at saving money
4) Herakleios - took the empire from the most dire straits to absolute victory (ignoring his later reign)
5) Nikephoros I - fantastic manager; recaptured much of the Thracian hinterland
6) Alexios I - endless energy; shrewd diplomat; restructured empire after the 11th cent. debacle
7) John II - continued Alexios' campaigns in Anatolia; secured Antioch and Edessa diplomatically; was able to save up money for an impoverished treasury
8) John III (Doukas Vatatzes) - stabilized Empire of Nikaea after fall of Constantinople; brought legitimacy to the regime
9) Michael VIII - restored much of Byzantine power; recaptured Constantinople following John III's stabilization
10) Theophilos - reorganized eastern themes, greatly improving resistance to Arab caliphates; in many ways, ushered return of 'high culture' to the Empire after centuries of decline
11) Leo VI - powerful personality; further reorganized army heightening efficiency
12) Constantine VIII - 'scholar-emperor'; increased the fisc; compiled several treatises that survive into modern day

Much more could be said not only of these individuals, but also of numerous others, some of whom are more qualified than those listed above but have not been mentioned for varios reasons.

The History Niketas Choniates

O Niketas, you rascal! Your oh-so-expensive book ($700.00 on Amazon) is now in my possession! Thank goodness for interlibrary loans. Now all I need is to read it within the allotted loan time...

Back Again!

Well, I finally was able to reset my login information after staring blankly at the 'password' space for a couple of months. I will follow up with posts soon!