Madrid Skylitzes - Wikipedia
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 Scene from the Battle of Shirimni; the army of Basil II defeating George I of Georgia | |
| Author | John Skylitzes |
|---|---|
| Original title | Σύνοψις Ἱστοριῶν |
| Language | Medieval Greek |
| Genre | Historiography |
Publication date | 12th century |
The Madrid Skylitzes is a 12th-century illuminated manuscript version of the Synopsis of Histories (Greek: Σύνοψις Ἱστοριῶν)[a] by John Skylitzes, which covers the reigns of the Byzantine emperors from the death of Nicephorus I in 811 to the deposition of Michael VI in 1057.[1] The manuscript was produced at the Norman court of Palermo in Sicily (although there is some debate on whether the main body was made in Palermo or Constantinople)[2][3] and is now housed in the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid. It remains the only preserved Greek-language illustrated chronicle from the Byzantine period.[4] The chronicle includes 574 miniatures detailing depictions of everyday life in the Byzantine Empire such as boats, literary practices, sieges, and ceremonies,[1] in "both purely Byzantine and Western styles while also reflecting Islamic elements".[5]
Illustrations from Madrid Skylitzes
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a. Leo VI with a Bulgarian delegation
b. The Battle of Boulgarophygon -
Thomas the Slav seeks refuge with the Arabs
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a. Thomas the Slav negotiates with the Saracens
b. Thomas's troops defeat the Imperial army -
a. The assassination of Bardas at the feet of Michael III (865-866)
b. Return of the army and coronation of Basil I as co-regent -
Depiction of Greek fire in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Serbs attack the Byzantines in the mountain passes at the Battle of Bar
- ^ a b Sussex Centre for Byzantine Cultural History, University of Sussex. "The Madrid Skylitzes Project". www.sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Oikonomides, Nicolas; Zachariadou, Elizabeth (2023). "The Costume of the Eparch and the Madrid Skylitzes". Society, Culture and Politics in Byzantium. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-93933-0.
- ^ Macrides, Ruth (2016). "Engaging the Byzantine past: strategies of visualizing history in Sicily and Bulgaria". History as Literature in Byzantium. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-93064-2.
- ^ Tsamakda, Vasiliki (2000). "The Miniatures of the Madrid Skylitzes". academia. p. 127. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Evans, Helen C. & Wixom, William D. (1997). The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843–1261, p. 438. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780810965072. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- Color facsimile edition by Militos (Μίλητος) Publishers, ISBN 960-8460-16-6.
- Tsamakda, Vasiliki (2002). The Illustrated Chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes, Leiden.
- Bjørnholt, Bente and J. Burke, eds. (2005). "The Cultures and Contexts of the Madrid Skylitzes". International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds