The Chronicle of Theophanes: Anni mundi 6095-6305 (A.D. 602-813)

by Harry Turtledove (Translator)

The most important illuminating source that survived from the two centuries termed "the dark ages of Byzantium" is the chronicle of the monk Theophanes (d. 817 or 818). In it Theophanes paints a vivid picture of the Empire's struggle in the seventh and eighth centuries both to withstand foreign invasions and to quell internal religious conflicts. Theophanes's carefully developed chronological scheme was mined extensively by later Byzantine and Western record keepers; his chronicle was used as a source of information as well as a stylistic model. It is the framework upon which all Byzantine chronology for this period must be based.

Important topics covered by the Chronicle

The Empire's struggle to repel explosive Arab expansionism and the Bulgar invasion.

The iconoclastic controversy, which caused civil war within Byzantium and led to schism between the churches of Constantinople and Rome.

The development of the Byzantine thematic system, the administrative and social structure that would bring the Empire to the height of its power and prosperity.

Almost all the sources used by Theophanes have perished, leaving his chronicle as the most important historical literature from this period. Turledove's translation makes available in English this crucial primary text for the study of medieval Byzantine civilization.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 814

About the author

Dr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.

Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.

Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.

Reviews

[Anatolikon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry Turtledove has done a good job translating this snippet of Theophanes. The translation is crisp and most of the transliterations are well done. Occasionally some modern colloquialism sneaks in, but it is usually minor. Turtledove does an excellent job in rendering Greek wordplay and puns into English, and the fact that he cites it in the footnotes just goes to improve this edition.

Nonetheless, this edition isn't perfect. The issue of length may lie with the publisher, as Penn Press has similarly sized editions of the Strategikon and Gunther of Paris' history. Starting at Phokas doesn't provide the reader enough background, and while the text from Phokas on may be the only historically valuable part, would it have been so hard to add the reign of Maurikios? Additionally, the notes occasionally aren't all that useful or critical. While they often describe transliterated Greek terms, they are not sufficient to make this the standard edition of Theophanes. It's value lies in its availability and afford-ability, something that the Mango text cannot claim.

[AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The classicist in me clutched my pearls the entire way through. Remember how Livy bemoaned Scipio being brought to trial by his enemies or how Clodius passed a literal bill to force Cicero into exile? Different from the torture, mutilation, and blinding favoured by the Byzantines. Jokes aside, this was a fascinating yet slightly dry read into a very turbulent time. Definitely peaked my interest in Byzantine history

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theophanes was a monk living in early 9th century Byzantium; his chronicle is one of the most significant sources for the byzantine dark ages. The translation by turtledove is very good and the overall content of the chronicle is good(though sadly the book starts at the usurpation of Phocas rather than 284Ad as it traditionally starts at). The detail on the Arab conquests is very interesting, though quite sparse and very very biased towards a greek christian perspective. The book itself marks the transitional phase from Procopius, who wrote very much aware of the classical traditions of writing history, to a more modern form of byzantine chronicle writing. The chronicle itself is not that brilliant, but I had to give it five out of five because of its historical significance as one of the only byzantine sources for the entire byzantine dark ages.

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been disappointed by the Lives of Charlemagne 9https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...), it was somewhat reluctantly that I picked up another early medieval historian. In this case my expectations were exceeded. Although the narrative, as the translator warns, is dry and devoid of the mastery of the ancients, it is a proper historical work performed with meticulous standards. The author correctly cites the names of all the protagonists and provides dates for all events described. Even though the translator often corrects the dates, they are remarkably close.

The author is quite subjective when it comes to the presentation of events, but not so much when it comes to their interpretation. His interpretations however, all follow the same pattern. If the ones he considers villains in his story suffer, it is God's vengeance. If they triumph, it is because God is punishing us for our sins. So no matter what happens, God punishes someone. As the narrative advances towards evens of his time, Theophanes becomes increasingly virulent towards his religious opponents. Through this more personal narrative his true nature is revealed as petty, spiteful, bigoted, and bloodthirsty - a true product of his time.

His time, as revealed through the narrative, is a hellish era of cruel despots, constant warfare, plagues and catastrophes of all kinds. There is no justice or stability of any kind. Rulers are created and destroyed in quick succession, and in their frequently brief reigns rain untold misery on their subjects and their neighbors. The narrative is worth ten Games of Thrones condensed to its essential violence, torture, and mayhem. Even though we may bemoan the state of the world in our lifetime, I am personally grateful that I was not born in the 8th century. Nevertheless, the book furnishes a dire reminder that human nature has not really changed since that time, and another dark age may be lurking in our future.

[John Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't add marginal comments towards the end. This book is primarily of interest as the original covering the period and the note on Mohammed is of especial interest, showing him to be a young man on the make who took over his wife's wealth and explained away his epilepsy as talking with an angel which she wanted to believe and like all 'believers' proselytised the lie to make it 'true'.

[Wesley Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Chronicle of Theophanes is by no means an objective source. This is nothing new of the time, even among the Muslim Arabs (see Al-Tabari’s writings) So if you are looking for objectivity, I would recommend another source.

However, if you are curious as to the Byzantine Roman mindset during major events through the 7th to early 9th centuries, this is your book. Theophanes takes us through the Persian and Arab invasions (among others) along with the struggle against iconoclasticism all while highlighting the struggles for power within the Church and the Roman Empire.

It will be difficult to keep track of all the characters coming in and out of this version of history as they’ll often be exiled, killed, sent to a monastery, etc.

I read this for my Byzantine History class and I can’t say that I am disappointed by the knowledge I’ve accrued but I do wish that, instead of so obviously picking sides, Theophanes may have attempted to be more objective.

[Douglas Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a history book. It is instead a contemporary document, a history of the Roman Empire between the years 602-813 written by a monk named Theophanes who died a few years after writing the final entry. It is almost a diary in style; some years get long involved explanations of events, while others get only the briefest mentions.

The entries are presented almost without explanation beyond footnotes clarifying the chronology or mistakes made by Theophanes. There is an introduction that does a great job of setting the scene for the Chronicles, but you really need to have at least a basic grasp of the Byzantine Empire to really appreciate this work.

[S M H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is awe inspiring in the level of destruction and carnage especially shown in the earliest part of it, during Heraclius's reign and the wars with the Persians and then the Arabs. It's a surprisingly interesting read with the amount of political maneuverings, violence, death and scheming involved with the day to day struggles of the Byzantine empire, as emperors rise and fall. And it's worth mentioning how entertaining the accounts of the emperors, special mention goes to Justinian II who's an incredible figure.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5.

One of the few extant histories that cover the Byzantine Iconoclasm, Chronographia is fairly reliable as a source, and factual in its telling. Theophanes offers a good overview of Byzantine-Islamic relations, especially when read with al-Tabari's later History.

[Rene B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very factual account of this period. Theophanes is quite opiniated.
Highly interesting reading from someone from this period itself.
Overall it is an interesting overview, but there are so many names and places ....

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

good translation

[Syed Nouman Hasany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The translation read fine, and the footnotes complemented the text well.

[Gabriella Gallagher · Rating 1 out of 5]

wild

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few surviving primary source accounts of Byzantine History on the time from 600-800 AD. While it covers a time period of 600ish years, his accounts on the reign of Heraclius and Leo III are especially important because he is the only Byzantine primary source on their reign. While it was written in 813 AD and discusses history that happened 200 years prior, it remains crucial to understanding Byzantine history. He was an ardent dyophysite and iconophile, so many of his perspectives and opinions on certain rulers must be viewed through a skeptical lense. Overall, an interesting piece of work to read along with a "textbook" novel on the history of Byzantine history as it allows you to look at the direct primary sources in which these "textbook" novels derive their conclusions from.

[Lulu]

813

Lives of muhammad, They are ultimately based on the tradition of the Chronographia of Theophanes, which contained a chapter on the life of Muhammad.

While Latin biographies of Muhammad in the 11th to 12th century are still in the genre of anti-hagiography, depicting Muhammad as an heresiarch, the tradition develops into the genre of picaresque novel, with Muhammad in the role of the trickster figure, in the 13th century.


c. 1072-1090 (closer to x90) Embrico: Anti-Hagiography: Embrico of Mainz's Vita Mahumeti (paper-only fragments)

1258 + 1264 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

[Adz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed through the first half or so. Theophanes was a hamfisted editor. He has some interesting things to say about Islam though. Definitely a good source to understand how Islam was used as a sort of rhetorical weapon, first as a scourge against the Romans in the taking of Jerusalem because of Heraclius' adoption of Monothelitism and then later when it became the nibus of the infection that was iconoclasm. Has some interesting aspects, but obviously nothing Theophanes intended.