Byzantine Empire

This dissertation delves into the Ottoman political theology, in other words religiopolitical legitimacy during the sixteenth century exploring its influence from the Turko-Mongol model. While the prevailing discourse often draws parallels between the Ottomans, the Mughals, and the Safavids during this period, the works of Luṭfī Paşa (1488?-1564?), a grand vezīr under Süleymān I (r. 1520-66), also reflect a Central Eurasian type legitimacy. This form of legitimacy traces its roots to the Mongol-ruled Iran of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

In sixteenth century the Ottoman Empire truly became a World Empire. In the Mediterranean, the empire compete with Habsburg dynasty. In the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, they clashed with the Portuguese. In Azerbayzan and Iraq, the Ottomans confront Safavids. To overcome these adversaries, the establishment of a centralized state was imperative, necessitating a corresponding legitimacy.

After forced retirement, Luṭfī Paşa devoted himself to learning and writing on history, goverment, jurisprudence, theology and medicine. Especially in works on history and government, he declared the the Ottoman dynasty was superior to all others that preceded it. Luṭfī Paşa was made into a true “Osmanī/Osmanlı” by the devşīrme system and served in various capacities and offices throughout the reigns of Bāyezīd II (r. 1481-1512), Selīm I (r. 1512-20), and Süleymān I, which enabled him to gain a unique experience in statecraft. This experience must be reflected his works.

In his work Tevārīḫ-i Āl-i ʿOsmān, Luṭfī Paşa declared that the Ottoman dynasty has legitimacy because a dynasty produced rulers who were mujaddid/müceddid (the centennial religious renewer sent by God each century) of their respective ages. In medieval times, the title mujaddid was closely associated with Shāfiʿī scholars, yet functioned mainly as an honorific title bestowed on religious scholars. But Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb (d. 1318), vezīr, historian, and Shāfiʿī theologian, used this title to transtlate the Mongol understanding of Chinggisid rule as predestined into Islamate fashion. After dissolution of the Hülegü Ulus, the mujaddid tradition was expanded, and ascribed new elaborate and creative explanations that legitimized the ruler’s identification as the centennial religious renewer. This model of sovereignty was in large part a reiteration, a successful rebranding and elaboration of the earlier Ilkhanid project of incorporating and adapting the Mongol claim to govern through the Heaven’s favor and Chinggis Khan’s supreme auspiciousness. In this context, Luṭfī Paşa’s the mujaddid tradition was much more developed form of the Ilkhanid experimentation.

After 1550s, Süleymān I’s image experienced much maturation. Now messianic/apocalyptic elements began to recede into the background, and the Ottoman ruler is described as an established conqueror. Recognizing the need for a more systematic legitimizing tool, Luṭfī Paşa declared Süleymān I the Caliph of Sunni Islam based on the mujaddid tradition. In fifteenth century, Muslim rulers claimed they were insān-i kāmil (Perfect Man) and universal ruler, or khalīfa Allāh fi al-arḍ (God’s vicegerent on earth). This post-Mongol use of the term Caliphate was borrowed from the Sufistic tradition, but its real intention was, again, translation and rebranding of the earlier Ilkhanid Project. Luṭfī Paşa mixed this model of Caliphate with his own mujaddid tradition, and based on this, tried to connect the Ottoman dynasty with al-Khulafāʾ al-Rāshidūn (the Rightly-Guided Caliphs). In sum, Luṭfī Paşa’s opinion about the Ottoman Caliphate was, again, actually a rebranding and elaboration of the earlier mujaddid tradition.

Comparatively, Luṭfī Paşa's deification of the Ottoman ruler finds resonance in other Mongol Successor States, such as the Great Qing Empire and the Muscovite-Russian Empire. Like the early Modern Islamicate empires, the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Empire, and the Mughal Empire, these two empires inherited a capacity for administrative centralization across vast distances, a deliberate multi-ethnicity, and an aggressive spatial expansionism from the Mongol Empire. Futher more, they imitated the Mongol style political theology tradition. Viewing the Ottoman Empire, the Great Qing Empire, and the Muscovite-Russian Empire as a fairly typical example of Mongol Successor States, we could argue that their final expiration around the Great War arrived just about on time.

One of the most distinctive rituals of Roman imperial accession was the adlocutio, the speech delivered by the new emperor to a military assembly, which can be documented from the first to the fifth centuries A.D. This article seeks to explain the extraordinary endurance of this neglected genre of speech by examining its origins, setting and content. After outlining the unusual nature of the accession adlocutio when set against both earlier and contemporary Mediterranean practice, the first half of this article traces its origins to the military culture of the late Roman Republic. In particular, the adlocutio is related to two other rituals which rose to new prominence in the era of the Civil Wars: the acclamation of the victorious general as imperator and the granting of military gifts. In the second part of this article, the setting for the typical adlocutio of the Imperial era is discussed using the often-problematic evidence of our ancient historical sources. The content of the speech itself is then reconstructed primarily through a close reading of our one surviving example, the brief address of Leo I preserved by Peter the Patrician. Finally, the evidence for the origins and content of the speech are brought together in an argument for the speech's survival as a useful tool for emperors seeking to establish a permanent bond with the soldiers they commanded.

This study aims to map the studies on the concept of Constantinople. Within the scope of quantitative data, the study aims to provide researchers with a systematic summary of the existing literature on Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire for about 11 centuries, using bibliometric analysis, and to identify trends and gaps in the study of Constantinople. The unit of analysis is based on the bibliometric data of different types of works scanned in the Web of Science database and published between 1975 and 2024. When examining the distribution of 1939 works on this subject according to the years of publication, the highest concentrations are observed in 2021 (144 works), 2022 (130 works), and 2019 (107 works). The authors who published the most works are Alessandra Bravi (13 works), Judith Herrin (13 works), and Sofia Kotzabassi (10 works). The predominant types of publications are journal articles (1280), book reviews (463), and book chapters (213). In terms of research fields, History (1018), Medieval Studies (733), Art (166), Archaeology (137), and Area/Regional Studies (65) are the most represented. Regarding the distribution of publications by country, the USA (258), Russia (197), and the UK (1377) are the leading publishers. The majority of works were published in English (1067), Russian (269), and French (184). The primary indexing databases include AHCI (1033), ESCI (581), and SSCI (122). The most frequently used keywords in publications on Constantinople include Byzantium (416 repetitions), Roman Empire (127 repetitions), Old Russian (70 repetitions), and Kemalism (58 repetitions).

Исторические, культурные, межнациональные, религиозные и политические связи Крыма со Средиземноморским регионом и странами Востока: Материалы VIII Международной научной конференции (Севастополь, 3–8 июня 2024 г.) / Отв. ред. Ю.А. Пронина; ред.-сост. Н.В. Гинькут. – М.: ИВ РАН, 2024. – Т. 1. – С. 177–179.

This thesis explores the perceptions and historiography of Byzantium during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries focusing on late Ottoman Turkey. It examines the ways in which the cultural and architectural heritage of Byzantium was represented and described in historical writings within the context of the entangled relationships between nationalism, orientalism and historiography. The investigation is based on a close reading of the historical writings of influential scholars who played an important role in the production and dissemination of knowledge regarding the Byzantine heritage during the period under scrutiny. This thesis also attempts a parallel examination of perceptions of the Byzantine legacy both in Europe and the Ottoman world within the specific comparative historical contexts in which similar approaches to the Byzantine heritage can be traced. Such a study of perceptions and historiography of Byzantium focusing on the interactions between Ottoman and Eu...

Книга для чтения стройно, в меру детально, увлекательно освещает историю возникновения, развития, расцвета и падения Ромейского царства – Византийской империи, историю византийской Церкви, культуры и искусства, экономику, повседневную жизнь и менталитет византийцев. Разделы книги сопровождаются заданиями для самостоятельной работы, самообучения и подборкой письменных источников, позволяющих читателям изучать факты и развивать навыки самостоятельного критического исследования. Издание дополнено справочными приложениями, необходимыми для начинающего византиниста, в частности, максимально полным списком изданий тех византийских источников, которые выходили в переводе на русский или украинский языки, а также пространным толковым словарем и библиографией. Для преподавателей и студентов высших учебных заведений гуманитарных направлений, учителей социально-гуманитарных дисциплин, учащихся Духовных академий и семинарий, а также всех, кто интересуется историей Византии и готов продолжать эти...

This Book is about the real ethnic roots of the Eastern Christians as they don't have Arab roots and they don't have Arab origins. These Eastern Christians have Non-Arab origins and the Term Arab Christian is wrong and not correct as Walid Phares wrote in his article regarding the Arabic Bible. the real Arab Christians of different Kingdoms and tribes vanished in the 10th century.  Therefore, if these Christians in the Arab World, the Middle East, the Levant and the Holy Land- Palestine, speak Arabic as their native language it doesn't mean that they are Arabs. The Term Arab Christian is considered an ethnic cleansing term of the real Ethnic roots of the Middle East in the Pre-Islamic times.
The Eastern Christians are Mediators between East and West, there is a problem of Identity and affiliation regarding their relations with the Byzantine Emperor and the Crusades in regard to their position from the conflict between Islam and the West.

Perioada cuprinsă între cea de-a doua jumătate a secolului al XV-lea și prima jumătate a celui următor a reprezentat o etapă în care cultura bizantină a înflorit exponențial în Țările Române, ca o consecință a „migrării” ei la Nord de Dunăre, după șocul provocat în anul 1453 de otomani. Una dintre direcțiile în care influența bizantină a fost foarte puternică, lăsând o amprentă vizibilă până astăzi, a fost arta pictării bisericilor. Canonul picturii bizantine presupunea o complexă serie de imagini inspirate într-o mare proporție din textul biblic, precum și din textele hagiografice sau chiar din viața cotidiană. Una dintre succesiunile de imagini predilecte ale artei bizantine, intitulată de specialiști „Ciclul Pătimirilor”, reunește secvențe referitoare la prinderea, judecarea și răstignirea lui Iisus Hristos. „Batjocorirea lui Hristos” reprezintă unul dintre tablourile ciclului care, pe lângă transpunerea în culori a faptelor petrecute în acest context, include și importante aspecte contemporane momentului pictării scenei, precum muzica și dansul, dar și ceremonialul în care acestea sunt incluse, oferindu-ne o foarte importantă sursă de informare despre cum anume „arăta” acea perioadă din punct de vedere sonor și coregrafic.
Atât la Sud de Dunăre, unde scena apare în toată zona de cultură și influență bizantină, cât și mai târziu, la Nordul ei, „Batjocorirea lui Hristos” reunește aceleași elemente constituante, dar diferite în esență, în funcție de timpul și zona în care ele apar, arătând specificul muzical și coregrafic a fiecărei țări sau regiuni în parte, facilitându-ne astăzi o mai bună înțelegere a acestei ramuri a culturii. Cele paisprezece scene ale „Batjocoririi” în frescele bisericilor din Moldova, realizate în răstimpul domniilor lui Ștefan cel Mare și Petru Rareș, despre care vom vorbi aici, reprezintă o dovadă certă a existenței unei solide culturi artistice în Moldova, comparabilă cu cele ale țărilor vecine și în conformitate cu modelul „dictat” de Occident, mai ales în materie de instrumentele muzicale folosite în muzica de Curte, în preajma suveranului, așa cum s-a întâmplat și în cazul nostru.

Карашайски К.М. Этники и ксеники, наемники и союзники: к проблеме византийской терминологии в отношении иностранных наемников в середине IX–XI вв. // Via in tempore. История. Политология. – 2024. – №51(2). – С. 344–353. – DOI: 10.52575/2687-0967-2024-51-2-344-353

Karashayski K.M. Ethnikoi and Xenikoi, Mercenaries and Allies: To the Problem of Byzantine Terminology in Relation to Foreign Mercenaries in the Middle of the 9th – 11th Centuries // Via in tempore. History and political science. – 2024. – №51(2). – P. 344–353. – DOI: 10.52575/2687-0967-2024-51-2-344-353

Abstract. The article is devoted to the problem of Byzantine terminology used to designate foreign mercenary soldiers who served in the armed forces of the Byzantine Empire in the middle of the 9th – 11th centuries, namely to the content and correlation of the four main terms: «foreigners» (oi ethnikoi), «strangers» (oi xenoi, oi xenikoi), «allies» (oi symmachoi) and «mercenaries» (oi misthophoroi). The research is based on a systemic-institutional approach in a comprehensive analysis of the information and lexicon of Byzantine sources represented by military-political treatises, taktikons, legends of seals, regulations and historical writings. The main views on the problem expressed in the works of J. Shepard, G. Theotokis, A. Kaldellis and S. Kyriakidis. The author concludes that the official designation for foreign soldiers in the Byzantine state of the considered period was the term «oi ethnikoi». Unofficially such contingents were called either strangers or foreigners, indicating their ethnic otherness and foreignness to the people and empire of the Romans, and either mercenaries and allies, i.e. words reflecting their military-political and socio-legal status. The existence and use by Byzantine authors of a model of a clear distinction between the military contingents of the allies and mercenaries is questioned. It is assumed that both terms were used as equivalent.

Скопското кале во историски контекст на развојот на градот Скопје заземало доминантно место, лоцирано на левата страна на реката Вардар. Овој урбанистички-фортификациски комплекс содржи богат културен слој кој навлегува наназад до периодот на праисторијата. Гледано како фортификација во средниот век егзистирала од X век, а според потеклото на монументалниот– киклопски ѕид од XI век, просторот се дефинирал со оградувањето на највисокото плато на горниот град. Доминацијата на овој ѕид се базира на облогата од големите камени блокови, преземени и вградeни, од античкиот град Скупи, по земјотресот од 518 г., поставени на зачувани стари фортификациски ѕидни остатоци. Во периодот на XII век фортификацијата во делот на јужниот и северозападниот бедем се обновува со изградба на нови кули1. Во XIV век со реставраторските зафати се формира јужната капија и дел од репрезентативна градба во северозападниот дел од тврдината.

The Norman domination of southern Italy lasted less than two centuries (1030 – 1190). In this relatively brief period of time, the men from Normandy managed to leave their mark on the area: not only politically, with the foundation of a kingdom destined to survive in an area that changed very little geographically until the unification of Italy in 1860, but also socially and culturally. In other words, they were able, on the one hand, to import (and, at times, impose) their own language, culture and social order, and, on the other, to carry out a continuous osmosis with different ethnic groups in the region (Latins, Lombards, Greeks, Arabs), thus creating a hybrid society that had its own special characteristics.Social life in the south thus continued within an overall framework that evolved in step with the general increase of activity and the new organization of the Norman kingdom. However, sectors like textile and ceramic production present original features and advances specific to the Norman period, also heralded by a flurry of activity in the luxury craft industries and royal workshops that welcomed eastern influences.

İzmir'de denizcilik faaliyetleri yürüten bir beyliğin kurucusu ve Türk tarihinin en önemli figürlerinden biri olan İzmirli Çaka Bey, 11. yüzyılın sonlarına doğru, o dönemde siyasi hayatının en zor dönemlerinden birini geçiren Bizans İmparatorluğu'na karşı bir mücadeleye girişmiş ve bu mücadelenin seyrinde İmparatorluğun mali durumu ve ekonomik arka planı hayati bir rol oynamıştır. Gençliğinin bir kısmını bu siyasi ortamda geçiren İzmir Beyi, Basileus'luk iddiasında Bizans'a karşı girişeceği mücadelede burada gördüklerini etkili bir şekilde İmparatorluğun dezavantajına kullanmayı başarmıştır. Bu araştırma makalesinde, Bizans İmparatorluğu'nun içinde bulunduğu siyasi ve mali açmazın İzmir Beyliği ile ilişkilerindeki etkisi ve Çaka Bey'in Bizans'a karşı yürüttüğü faaliyetler değerlendirilecektir.

Venedikli diplomat ve sekreter Niccolò Sagundino'nun İstanbul'un Fethinden sonra Fatih Sultan Mehmet'le yapılan diplomatik görüşmelere müteakip Venedik Senatosu ve Aragon Kralı Alfonso huzurunda verdiği sultanın kişiliği, fetih sırasında olanlar ve sultanın gelecekteki planlarına dair söylevi.

ΧΕΡΣΩΝΟΣ ΘΕΜΑΤΑ: империя и полис. XVI Международный Византийский Семинар (Севастополь, 24–28 мая 2024 г.). Материалы научной конференции / Отв. ред. Н.А. Алексеенко. – Симферополь: ИТ «АРИАЛ», 2024. – С. 131–136.

Karashayski K.M. «The Head of the Nations»: The Office of Ethnarch in the Byzantine Empire from the Last Third of the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century

Entre 512 et 518, les elections épiscopales suivent dans l'espace
syrien une procédure très precise où l'autorité patriarcale d'Antioche, incarnée par Severe, doit composer avec les instances locales, cléricales et laïques. La correspondance de Sévère révèle cependant les limites de cette procedure collégiale et consensuelle, ainsi que les grippages quelle pouvait rencontrer. Reprise intégralement dans la législation justinienne en 528, celle-ci connaîtra bientôt une évolution significative et sera étendue à tout l'Empire.

The natural world is built and operated by universal laws. Stephen
Hawking prophecy states that by understanding the working of the universe,
you will know and understand the mind of God. This paper focuses on
analyzing different universal laws and their origin, rationale, and prophecy.
This research is a framework of the science, rationale, vision, and metaanalysis of universal laws. The findings revealed that natural law, in
philosophy, is a system of right or justice held to be common to all humans
and is derived from nature. Natural law theory is concerned with two basic
principles, which are morality and legality. God's eternal law is not fully
cognizable by humans in His everlasting plan. The scientific laws of nature
consist of many principles which were earlier assumed as Nature’s laws. The
first spiritual law of success is pure potentiality which says humans are pure
consciousness. The 12 universal laws are inherent and unchanging principles
that ancient people intuitively discovered through their fact-finding efforts.
The law of Newton’s gravity is considered “universal” and it is applicable on
all bodies having a mass (sun, moon, earth, apple, etc.). The 7 cosmic laws are
fundamental principles that control everyone and everything. God designed
nature’s laws and blessed humans with rationality to understand them. Also,
God's eternal law can be discovered by observing the behaviour of animals
and planets, as well as understanding how people should behave.

Карашайски К.М. Образ иноземца-наемника в сочинении Михаила Пселла // Проблемы истории и культуры средневекового общества. Материалы XLIII всероссийской научной конференции студентов, аспирантов и молодых ученых «Курбатовские чтения» (7–9 ноября 2023 г.): сборник / Под ред. А. Ю. Прокопьева. – СПб.: Изд-во Скифия-принт, 2024. – С. 45–54.

The article examines the perceptions of foreign mercenaries contained in the "Chronographia" of Michael Psellos. The author believes that the Byzantine official and intellectual was in favour of an army reinforced by contingents of foreign mercenaries and allies. In Psellos’ images of foreign warriors, along with barbaric wildness and ferocity, prevail strength, militancy, bravery and fidelity.

Venice elaborated from the year 1000 a geostrategic doctrine to which the name of the doge, who first put it into action, is given here: Pietro II Orseolo. It will become the doctrine of reference for all subsequent governments, until the fall in 1797. Its assumptions were the maritime choice of the state and the correct interpretation of the geopolitical constants in the quadrant of Venetian national interest, the Euro-Mediterranean coastal strip, with particular regard to its Adriatic and Aegean articulations. It was the presupposition, among others, also of the First Norman War, fought between 1081 and 1085.

In 1439 in the Council of Ferrara – Florence a new ecclesiastical union came into existence between the Western and Eastern Church by the declaration of papal bull ’Laetentur Caeli’. The aim of the negotiations – according to the Byzantine emperor John VIII – was to create united
military and religious strength against the threat of the Ottoman Empire. But in Constantinople the Byzantine Church (monk Mark of Ephesus) put up resistance to the articles, because the delegation of the Byzantines accepted most of western dogmatical principles. This ecclesiastical union had an insignifi cant infl uence on political events. The possibility and papal idea of planned a new crusade was destroyed by the rivalry of Jagiellonian dynasty and the House of Habsburg for the crowns of Central European kingdoms. This study examines the antecedents of the Council of Ferrara – Florence, including political background and analyses the articles of Laetentur Caeli and fi nally mentions the question of mixed marriages in the Hungarian Kingdom by regulation of canon law.
Finally, here is my full translation of the synodal document in Hungarian.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE PROTO-BULGARIAN TEXT INSCRIPTION № 1 FROM THE GOLDEN TREASURE OF THE BULGARIAN KHANS AND KINGS The Golden Treasure of Nagy Szent-Miklós is Bulgarian in terms of origin and belonging; it was collected, kept and guarded in the dining-room and treasury of the Bulgarian khans and tsars ever since their migration across the Caucasus; it was exhibited and kept last in the throne-room of the king’s palace built and lived in first by Tsar Simeon the Great after the transfer of the Bulgarian capital-city from Pliska to Preslav in 893; it was taken out of here in 971 during the siege and seizure of the capital of Great Preslav by the Byzantine army which was immediately before the falling of Eastern Bulgaria under Byzantine rule; it was kept in Bulgaria-Beyond- the Danube by the Bulgarian jupans princes Gilyad, Butaul and Akhtum; it was buried in 1008 by the proto-Bulgarian hamlet with the later name of Nagy Szent-Miklós during the continuing seizure of the beyond-the-Danube Bulgarian lands by the Magyars and more specifically during their cruel outrage upon the Bulgarian nationality and statehood in the area of Prince Akhtum jupan where it was found in 1799.

This article aims to point out the importance of the oath in the relations between the Goths and the Byzantines, since it functioned as a ritualistic sealing of their treaties. The first part of the paper draws examples from the early Byzantine sources to present the role of the oath firstly inside the gothic society and secondly in the context of the gothic – Byzantine contacts, before and after the crossing of the river Danube (376). The second part examines the complex way that historians and poets of the eastern and western parts of the Empire – affected by the classicizing stereotype of the untrustworthy “barbarian” and the usage of the oath by the Goths – created a propagandistic tradition of gothic perjury, which they connected with various Gothic leaders and all the Goths depending on the situation. [Domus Byzantinus : A Periodical of Medieval Greek History and Civilization / Βυζαντινός Δόμος. Περιοδικό μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής ιστορίας και πολιτισμού 31 (2023), 55-67]

Στη μελέτη αυτή εξετάζεται το φαινόμενο των μαγικών φυλακτών και η αντιμετώπιση τους από το κράτος, την Εκκλησία και το λαό κατά τη βυζαντινή περίοδο. Για να καταστεί αυτό δυνατό, τα μαγικά φυλακτά προσεγγίζονται μέσα από τη μαρτυρία των γραπτών πηγών της Ύστερης Αρχαιότητας και του Μεσαίωνα, του υλικού κατασκευής, των εικονογραφικών θεμάτων και των επιγραφών που φέρουν, ώστε να γίνει κατανοητός ο τρόπος με τον οποίο χρησιμοποιούνταν. Ιδιαίτερη έμφαση δίνεται στα μαγικά φυλακτά από ανασκαφικές θέσεις και τα συνευρήματα τους, με στόχο την κατανόηση της ταυτότητας των παραγγελιοδοτών/φερόντων και των αντιλήψεων που επικρατούσαν για τα μαγικά φυλακτά. Επιπλέον, γίνεται μια προσπάθεια ορθότερης χρονολόγησης τους χάρη στο ανασκαφικό τους συγκείμενο. Η μελέτη διακρίνεται σε τρία κεφάλαια. Στο πρώτο εξετάζονται μαρτυρίες σχετικά με τα φυλακτά και τις μαγικές πρακτικές σε επίσημες και ανεπίσημες γραπτές πηγές της Ύστερης Αρχαιότητας και των βυζαντινών κυρίως χρόνων (νομοθετικά διατάγματα, κείμενα των Πατέρων της Εκκλησίας, ιστορικά κείμενα, πραγματείες ιατρών της Ύστερης Αρχαιότητας και γραπτές πηγές μαγικού περιεχομένου). Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο εξετάζονται τα μαγικά φυλακτά ως προς το υλικό κατασκευής τους, τα εικονογραφικά θέματα και τις επιγραφές τους. Τέλος, στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο μελετώνται αφενός τα μαγικά φυλακτά των οποίων γνωρίζουμε την προέλευση και αφετέρου τα φυλακτά που εντοπίστηκαν σε ανασκαφικά στρώματα.
This study focuses on magical amulets and their treatment by the state, the Church and the people during the Byzantine period. Thus, magical amulets are studied through the evidence of Late antique and Medieval written sources, their construction material, the iconographic themes and the inscriptions they bear, in order to understand how they were. Particular emphasis is given on magical amulets from excavations, aiming at understanding the identity of the bearer and people’s perceptions regarding magical amulets. An effort for a better dating of the amulets thanks to their archaeological context is also made. The study is divided into three chapters. The first chapter deals with Late antique and Byzantine official and unofficial written sources legislative texts, texts of the Fathers of the Church and Byzantine historians, discourses of the Late antique doctors, and written sources of magical content). In the second chapter, magical amulets are examined according to their materials, iconography, and inscriptions. The last chapter, focuses on the one hand magical amulets of known provenance an on the other hand on magical amulets found in archaeological excavations.

The volume comprises a selection of papers presented at the 5th Postgraduate International Conference organized by the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Venice, 4-6 October 2023): A Driving Force. On the Rhetoric of Images and Power. In the introduction to his well-known The Power of Images (1989), David Freedberg claims not only that images hold power over us, but they are also, inevitably, related to ‘power’ itself. Art is therefore a powerful and non-neutral tool. Its forms and expressions influence and manipulate the realm of the real. Throughout human history, the artist’s creative power gave form, substance, and meaning to otherwise inert matter. This process turned the artist into a demiurge. Furthermore, once images are given their final form, they circulate and live a life of their own. The 5th Postgraduate International Conference was aimed at investigating the rhetorical nature of the intersection between image and power. In 1979 Yuri Lotman claimed that “rhetoric” is the displacement of the structural principles of a given semiotic sphere into another semiotic sphere. The Tartu semiologist’s approach implies that the “correlation with different semiotic systems gives rise to a rhetorical situation in which a powerful source of elaboration of new meanings is contained”. In exploring these meanings from a multidisciplinary perspective, this volume investigates two main themes: the power of the image, as an autonomous device, endowed with a pervasive and persuasive character; the image as a form for representing power which addresses questions concerning the sense of authority, and its negation, namely a sense of dissidence and counter-narrations.

Recent global research reveals a world characterised by increasing
fragmentation, diminished peace, and mounting risks for future generations.
Diverse conflicts, ranging from familial to national issues, persist, even among
individuals sharing the same faith. In Africa, nations like Cote d’Ivoire, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, the Central African
Republic, and Sierra Leone grapple with severe consequences of conflicts. In
Ghana, pockets of ethnic discord impact education, healthcare, and social
services, prompting the emigration of skilled professionals. Despite ongoing
peace efforts in Ghana, effective approaches are crucial. With over 70% of
Ghanaians identifying as Christians, contextualising peace-making within
sacred texts becomes imperative. In this exploration, the study delves into a
biblical approach, specifically scrutinising Matthew 18:15–18 through
exegetical analysis in Greek language and mother-tongue hermeneutics. These
approaches reveal a convergence between the biblical author’s original
meaning conveyed in the Greek language and its interpretation in the mother
tongue. The paper advocates private conflict resolution to avoid gossip,
involving witnesses if needed and church leaders if the issue persists.
Disciplinary measures may be necessary, emphasising personal dignity and
adherence to God’s will. The paper significantly contributes to conflict resolution knowledge, providing valuable insights for fostering peace in
Ghana and beyond.

Конфликт княгини Ольги с византийским императором в свете истории деспины Данилис // Восточная Европа в древности и средневековье. Чтения памяти члена-корреспондента АН СССР В. Т. Пашуто. XXXV. Пути и способы разрешения конфликтов. М.: Институт всеобщей истории РАН, 2023. C. 207–213

В статье предлагается новая идентификация имен византийских императоров («греческих цесарей»), указанных в качестве хронологических ориентиров в т. н. «Предисловии» к «Начальному своду» XI в. Кроме однозначно определяемого последнего императора Аморийской династии Михаила III, вторым императором был назван император Александр из Македонской династии, а третьим – основатель династии Комнинов Исаак I. Возможен также вариант, что указаны только два императора – первый, от которого ведется отсчет истории Русской земли, Михаил III, и второй, современный для автора текста правитель Византии, Исаак I Комнин. В этом случае имя Александр было вторым монашеским именем Исаака I, который в 1059 г. оставил престол и ушел в монастырь, хотя и остался причастным к управлению страной. В пользу того, что «Александр» было его монашеским именем, говорит наиболее вероятная дата его пострижения, которая приходилась на 24 ноября – день памяти св. мученика Александра. Указание на Исаака I Комнина позволяет датировать текст «Предисловия» началом 1060-х гг., отнеся его к т. н. «Своду 1060-х гг.».
URL: http://writing.igh.ru/index.php?id=2023-3-2-170-180

In Antiquity the « fair war » or the « holy war » had been theorized against excess of violence. In modern times, « war crimes » have been thought as a definition of excess of military violence. In this paper, we try to compare the narrative approach on military violence in the text of the monk Strategios: the Fall of Jerusalem (614 A.D.), and modern ideas of « war crimes ». After a presentation of the historical background, we focus on four pre-concepts used in the text of Strategios : objectivation of military violence on civilians, martyrization of the victims, use of a comput of dead people in Jerusalem as a possible juridical proof against the adversaries, use of animal metaphors. Is it possible to
think of these pre-concept as a form of juridical response to the military violence
experimented at that time ?

St. Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki through the ages, the myroblytos and miracle-worker, is the subject of an extremely rich iconography. In one scene the martyr is depicted on horseback, spearing or unhorsing Ioannitzes, a prominent Bulgarian king (1197-1207). The specific iconographical type was conceived during the 13th century in
the frame of the byzantine counter-narrative against the second Bulgarian state’s founding ideology, in order to present the aforementioned ruler’s sudden death as one of Demetrius’ numerous miracles. The diffusion of this scene served multiple objectives of Michael VIII Palaiologos’ propaganda, given that St. Demetrius was considered as one of his personal patron saints, a policy which was adopted and expanded by his son and successor, Andronicus II Palaiologos. This paper’s aims are to interpret the propaganda meaning of the representation of St. Demetrius as ‘Bulgar-Slayer’ and to offer suggestions upon its dating, based on sources, coins, lead seals and wall paintings.

PRESENTATION OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE HIDDEN
CLOISONNÉ SYSTEM (SEMI OPUS CLOISONNÉ
CUM LIGNUM) IN MEDIEVAL SACRAL AND PROFANE
OBJECTS IN THE STRUMICA REGION
Abstract:
In the Middle Ages, the city of Strumica grew into one of the most important urban centers in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, with all the features and elements needed for a regional civil and spiritual center in that period.
The rise and development of the city was due to its location between the important road communications as well as the proximity to one of the most important centers of the Balkan, the city of Thessaloniki. The construction samples have left traces in sacred and profane buildings in Strumica and the Strumica region.
The paper will present examples of the construction technique hidden cloisonné system (Semi opus cloisonné cum lignum), through the example of several sacral and profane buildings in Strumica, namely: the medieval churches in Strumica and the village of Bansko, and the medieval fortification Tsarevi Kuli in Strumica.
Keywords:  Medieval churches, Semi opus cloisonné cum lignum, research, conservation, restoration, Strumica region

This article is a comparative study on the political developments in the Byzantine Empire between 912 and 1025. In this period, the members of the Macedonian dynasty (867-1056) were politically neutralized because power was seized and shared either by eunuch-ministers or military officers, acclaimed co-emperors under the pretext of protecting the interest of the dynastic emperors. Although regencies for minor emperors were a recurrent power-sharing arrangement in Byzantine history, the regencies of this period differed, for they maintained the dynastic emperor in an everlasting status of minor until late adulthood. Therefore, this article analyses the so far exceptional degree of dynastic legitimacy achieved by the Macedonian emperors, which ended up creating the ideal conditions for their political neutralization. It also emphasizes the unusual position of emperor-protector. In addition, the discursive strategies that tried to legitimate the political neutralization of the dynastic emperors and the movements made by the political actors of the time to enforce it were analysed, along with how Basil II (976-1025) finally put an end to it by emancipating himself from the extended minority forced upon him, reinforcing his right as emperor to rule by himself. Finally, a comparison with the political developments simultaneously taking place in Baghdad, the centre of the Abbasid Caliphate, which share several similarities with what was happening in the Byzantine Empire, will be made as to understand why the political neutralization of the caliph was finally achieved while that of the Byzantine emperor failed.