Reading in the Byzantine Empire and Beyond

This volume explores the paradox of advanced literacy in the Byzantine Empire, where gender and class restrictions limited access to written records, while the state emphasized their importance. Contributors examine the interactions between authors, compilers, and scribes, and the social implications of writing with images and speech. It aims to place Byzantium within the mainstream of medieval textual studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 744 pages
Publication date: 12 August 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Offering a comprehensive introduction to the history of books, readers, and reading in the Byzantine Empire and its sphere of influence, this volume addresses a paradox. Advanced literacy was rare among imperial citizens, being restricted by gender and class. Yet, the state's economic, religious, and political institutions insisted on the fundamental importance of the written record.

Starting from the materiality of codices, documents, and inscriptions, the volume's contributors draw attention to the evidence for a range of interactions with texts. They examine the role of authors, compilers, and scribes. They look at practices such as the close perusal of texts in order to produce excerpts, notes, commentaries, and editions. But they also analyze the social implications of the constant intersection of writing with both image and speech.

Showcasing current methodological approaches, this collection of essays aims to place a discussion of Byzantium within the mainstream of medieval textual studies.

Weight: 1060g
Dimension: 158 x 230 x 47 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108406031