Theophanes Continuatus

Abstract

The text we call Theophanes Continuatus is a ninth- century anthology of three separate texts. The opening of the text explains that it is intended to be a continuation of the Chronicle of Theophanes , although it is not much like that text in structure, format, or style. It is known from a single early eleventh- century manuscript: Vaticanus Graecus 167 . The first part is called “Books I– IV” in older editions and “Text I” in the modern edition. It is a narrative history describing the rules of Leo V (813– 820), Michael II (820– 829), Theophilos (829– 842), and Michael III (842– 867). The reign of each emperor is described in a separate book, so that history from 813 until 867 is described in four books. The second part is called either Book V, or Text II, or the Vita Basilii , or the Life of Basil. It narrates the life of the Emperor Basil I (867– 886), the founder of the Macedonian dynasty, in a highly favorable light, justifying his accession after the murder of Michael III. The third part is called either Book VI, or Text III. It covers history from 886 until it breaks off suddenly during the reign of Romanos II while describing the re- conquest of Crete in 961. Although this text covers the reigns of multiple emperors, it is not divided into one book for each emperor. Texts I and II appear to have been created under the patronage of Constantine Porphyrogenitos (945– 959). Both of these texts are more classicizing in their Greek and make more use of rhetorical strategies, especially for praise and blame, than Theophanes and other ninth- century historical texts. These texts are the first surviving histories since Theophylakt Simokatta to use the classical model of history as a high- style, biographical narrative of great deeds.

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