The study of Byzantine epitomes of Classical texts requires no apology. As works of Byzantine scholarship, they have the potential to provide insights into the minds of those individuals who produced them. Even when the identities of individual epitomators remain unknown, their texts cast light upon the institutions in which they were produced and circulated—from the imperial court to the hospitals. For Classicists and Ancient Historians, epitomized texts often provide the basic textual materials for those authors whose works are no longer extant.
This volume tells the story—or at least some episodes from the story—of the production of epitomized or abridged texts in Greek from the late Classical period down to the last decades of the Byzantine age in the fifteenth century. It is the story of how Classical Greco-Roman culture continued to be transmitted and repackaged by individuals who, as far as we can tell, saw themselves as part of a continuous historical and cultural tradition. Epitomes provided one of the means by which this cultural knowledge and capital could be transmitted, and if necessary, transformed to ensure its continued relevance.
This volume is divided into three sections. The first charts the production and readership of epitomes from antiquity through to Byzantium in the ninth century. The second section deals with epitomes produced for or in institutional settings, specifically epitomes of Aristotle’s Organon, many of which were used in educational contexts, epitomes of medical texts, and epitomes of Byzantine law. The final section provides three case studies of specific epitomes: the anonymous epitome of Athenaeus, and the epitomes produced by two very different Byzantine intellectuals, John Xiphilinos and George Gesmistos Plethon.
The rendering of Greek names in this volume has tended to follow familiar Anglophone usage. In practice this means that the names of Classical authors appear in Latinized form, whereas Byzantine authors appear in Hellenized form, although contributors have been given the final say.
This work owes its inception to a collaboration between the editor and Theofili Kampianaki in 2020. Unfortunately, Theofili was unable to continue with this project and I have persevered without her. I for one have missed Theofili’s characteristic insight and acumen, qualities which are well known to her colleagues and friends. Yet in Theofili’s absence, I have benefited from the collegiality and professionalism of my fellow contributors to this volume, who have endured the various delays and setbacks with good cheer and forbearance. Moreover, Giulia Moriconi at Brill has been a model editor and it has been a pleasure to work with her. I would like to also thank the anonymous reviewer whose comments have improved this volume in many places, similarly Brill’s copy editor, Marlou Meems, and Helen Tanner.
A final note of thanks must go to my institution, the University of Western Australia, for providing me with a semester of study leave in 2024 which has allowed me to complete this volume in the intellectual hothouse that is the Bodleian Library.
Christopher Mallan
University of Western Australia
November 2024