Papers by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos
Post Augustum, 2022
This article is a continuation of my study regarding the term Βυζάντιος in the 678 Sacra of Const... more This article is a continuation of my study regarding the term Βυζάντιος in the 678 Sacra of Constantine IV to Pope Donus which was published in the journal Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. In the article mentioned, I have argued that the term had been used as a synonym to ‘Eastern Roman’ in a context of distinction between Eastern and Western Romans. The present work focuses on the ideological and political framework which allowed the term to acquire this broad meaning. The choice of the emperor to designate the Eastern Romans as ‘Byzantines’ is co-examined along with the practice of Westerners, and critics of the emperor to use the term ‘Greek’ for the same purpose. I suggest that the term ‘Greek’ could be used as a vehicle for reproach against the emperor, while the term ‘Byzantine’ emphasized the universal nature of imperial authority.
http://www.postaugustum.com/journal/%ce%ba%ce%ac%cf%80%ce%bf%ce%b9%ce%b5%cf%82-%cf%83%ce%ba%ce%ad%cf%88%ce%b5%ce%b9%cf%82-%cf%83%cf%87%ce%b5%cf%84%ce%b9%ce%ba%ce%ac-%ce%bc%ce%b5-%cf%84%ce%bf-%ce%b9%ce%b4%ce%b5%ce%bf%ce%bb%ce%bf%ce%b3/
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 2021
This article examines the term ‘Byzantine’ as it appears in the 678 Sacra of Constantine IV to Po... more This article examines the term ‘Byzantine’ as it appears in the 678 Sacra of Constantine IV to Pope Donus. Unlike most other late antique and medieval usages of the term, that is, to describe individuals from Constantinople, the Emperor used the term in relation to Palestinian, Cilician and Armenian monastic communities in Rome. The article considers a number of possible readings of the term and suggests that, in the context of distinction between Eastern and Western Romans, the term functioned as a designation for Eastern Romans.
J. Preiser-Kapeller, L. Reinfandt, & Y. Stouraitis (eds), Migration Histories of the Medieval Afroeurasian Transition Zone, (Studies in Global Social History/ Studies in Global Migration History), Brill , 2020
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/sgmh
Book Reviews by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos
In this short book, Anthony Kaldellis argues for the abolition of the field of Byzantine Studies ... more In this short book, Anthony Kaldellis argues for the abolition of the field of Byzantine Studies and its replacement by a new field of East Roman Studies. The latter will not only bear the epithet 'Roman' instead of 'Byzantine', but will cover a much longer period, from the time of Augustus until at least the fall of the last East Roman outposts in the 15th century. Kaldellis develops his argument in three chapters. The first one, tellingly entitled 'RIP Byzantium', discusses why we should abandon the existing model with its traditional chronological span (4th through 15th centuries) and its use of the terms 'Byzantium' and 'Byzantine'. Kaldellis claims that such terminology is not only artificial, but also recent. He argues that despite the use of the epithet 'Byzantine' by Hieronymus Wolf in the 16th century, the term became prominent only in the mid-19th century (p. 9). Until then, Western European scholars understood the empire and its people as 'Greek', continuing the medieval strategy (since 800) of denying their Romanness. Kaldellis observes that the Western European stance towards the appellation of the Eastern empire changed during the Crimean war (1853-1856), when the irredentist dream of a Greek empire led a number of Greeks to fight on the Russian side. He also notes that this shift in terminology occurred during the peak of European colonialism, which affected the newly-created field of Byzantine Studies. Kaldellis highlights the danger of using 'Byzantine' and 'Byzantium' as designations for scholarly output. The decision to call the Eastern Roman empire 'Byzantine' implies, in his words, a different 'essence' from the Roman empire. This has led scholars to exaggerate the contrasts with earlier Roman history (e.g. Christianization, Arab conquests, and prevalence of the Greek language), and prevented them from looking closer at ancient Rome and ancient Roman material. Kaldellis attributes this phenomenon to the importance Byzantinists have placed on the ideology expressed in the works of Eusebios of Caesarea, which were treated as 'quasi-constitutional founding texts of the new order' (p. 21).
Speculum, Volume 97, Issue 1, 2022
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Papers by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos
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Book Reviews by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos
http://www.postaugustum.com/journal/%ce%ba%ce%ac%cf%80%ce%bf%ce%b9%ce%b5%cf%82-%cf%83%ce%ba%ce%ad%cf%88%ce%b5%ce%b9%cf%82-%cf%83%cf%87%ce%b5%cf%84%ce%b9%ce%ba%ce%ac-%ce%bc%ce%b5-%cf%84%ce%bf-%ce%b9%ce%b4%ce%b5%ce%bf%ce%bb%ce%bf%ce%b3/