Byzantine Chronicles and the Sixth Century

Roger Scott is a Principal Fellow in the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Melbourne, Australia.

• Contents: Preface; Part A Historiography, Chronicles and the 6th Century: Byzantine chronicles; Byzantium in the 6th century and the beginning of Byzantine historical writing; The classical tradition in Byzantine historiography; Text and context in Byzantine historiography; Towards a new history of Byzantine literature: the case of historiography (with Ingela Nilsson); Chronicles versus classicizing history: Justinian's West and East. Part B Malalas, Theophanes and the 6th Century: Malalas and his contemporaries; Malalas and Justinian's codification; Malalas, The Secret History and Justinian's propaganda; John Lydus on some procedural changes; Diplomacy in the 6th century: the evidence of John Malalas; 'The events of every year arranged without confusion': Justinian and others in the chronicle of Theophanes Confessor; Writing the reign of Justinian: Malalas versus Theophanes. Part C Malalas, Theophanes and Their Byzantine Past: Malalas' view of the classical past; The image of Constantine in Malalas and Theophanes; From propaganda to history to literature: the Byzantine stories of Theodosius' apple and Marcian's eagles. Part D Reinterpreting the 5th and 6th Centuries: Narrating Justinian: from Malalas to Manasses; Interpreting the late 5th and early 6th centuries from Byzantine chronicle trivia; Justinian's new age and the Second Coming; Index.

'By attempting to draw our intention to the nuances and complexity of seemingly straightforward, plagiarism-filled chronicles in this book and throughout his career, Scott has done the study of late antique historiography a great service.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review