Brill’s New Pauly Supplements II - Volume 10 : History and Culture of Byzantium

Get access Subject: Classical Studies


This compendium examines the history and culture of the Byzantine world from the foundation of Constantinople (324) to the Ottoman conquest of the city, which brought the final downfall of the Byzantine Empire (1453). A detailed 100-page introduction is followed by discussion of 15 key topics, including politics and government, people and society, legislation and legal practice, the army and navy, church and religion, nature and the environment, art and architecture, languages, literature, education and culture, medicine and music. Because the work forms part of Brill's New Pauly, particular attention is paid to aspects of continuity with the ancient world, and of innovation.

Information: Brill.com

7.2. Sacraments, liturgy and pastoral care

(2,624 words)

Author(s): Mitsiou, Ekaterini
A. Sacraments A.1. Content and ritesThe exact number of sacraments was not fixed in Byzantium until at least the 13th century. Only at the Council of Lyon (1274) were seven mysteries specified (baptism, confirmation/chrismation, eucharist/communion, ordination, matrimony, penance and extreme unction), while Theodore Stoudites in the 9th century, for example, listed only six: ‘illumination’ (baptism), synaxis (eucharist), the preparation of the holy chrism, ordination, monastic tonsure and burial. Joasaph of Ephesus in the 15th century even argued for ten, ad…
Source: Brill’s New Pauly Supplements II - Volume 10 : History and Culture of Byzantium
Date: 2019-10-14

7.3. Sanctity, piety and deviance

(3,581 words)

Author(s): Mitsiou, Ekaterini
A. Sanctity and the veneration of saintsAll Byzantine saints’ cults began on the local level. A monk to whom miracles were attributed after his death, for example, would slowly become the focus of a local cult fostered by his pupils or followers, confined to a single monastery or church. The key mechanisms by which such a cult began to spread, and the saint in question achieved general recognition beyond the regional level, included the composition of a  vita and hymns, the celebration of the day of a saint’s death, the veneration of his relics and the creation of an icon. The icons and ima…
Source: Brill’s New Pauly Supplements II - Volume 10 : History and Culture of Byzantium
Date: 2019-10-14

9.2. Sea routes

(1,748 words)

Author(s): Kislinger, Ewald
A. IntroductionDespite its vast interiors in what for centuries were its heartlands in the Balkans and Asia Minor (9.1. Land routes), the Byzantine Empire always had a strong maritime focus in transportation [7]. This was first and foremost because of geographical conditions, namely, seas that reached deep into the centre of the Byzantine Empire – especially the Aegean and Propontis – and its many islands (Sicily, Crete, Cyprus). Travelling by water was also quicker than by land (9.9. Travel duration and hazards), and larger volumes could be transported (especially importa…
Source: Brill’s New Pauly Supplements II - Volume 10 : History and Culture of Byzantium
Date: 2019-10-14

3.4. Sexuality

(1,655 words)

Author(s): Messis, Charis
A. Ancient tradition and Christian thoughtMany cultural factors clashed over sexuality in Byzantium. Patterns of behaviour inherited from Greco-Roman Antiquity came up against Christian education, social practices against moral concerns and the discretion of the private sphere against the necessity of public social controls. Across the spectrum of its possible manifestations, sexuality in Byzantium could range from permitted (in marriage), tolerated (if not morally, then legally, e.g. prostitution) to illegal (a range of practices including homosexuality).Permitted…
Source: Brill’s New Pauly Supplements II - Volume 10 : History and Culture of Byzantium
Date: 2019-10-14