Corinthian Matters

Category: Byzantine

  • The Most Excellent Strategem of Niketas Ooryphas (Part IV)

    Today I deliver the final segment of this interpretation of Niketas Ooryphas , the clever and mighty Byzantine admiral who shocked Aegean pirates in the Corinthian Gulf.  As Basil’s thunderbolt, he certainly did not drag his feet in 872 AD, but did he actually drag his fleet?  On Friday, I presented a series of arguments…

  • Did Niketas Drag His Fleet? The Ooryphas Saga, Part III

    Probably not. Over the last day or two, I’ve been telling the conquests of Niketas Ooryphas, the terrifying Byzantine admiral who delivered the shocking attack on the menacing Cretan pirates in the Corinthian Gulf in the late 9th century AD.  The Cretan pirates: from the Madrid Skylitzes manuscript The story is based on several…

  • Basil’s Thunderbolt: Niketas Ooryphas, Part II

    Today we continue the story of Niketas Ooryphas, a shadowy Byzantine admiral who appears on three occasions in the 10th century Life of Basil, a document praising the Emperor Basil I as  a restorer of order after the disastrous reign of the immoral and diabolical Michael III.  Niketas’ exploits, as I suggested yesterday, create real…

  • Niketas Ooryphas and the Diolkos of Corinth, Part I

    Who was Niketas Ooryphas, and what was he doing on the Isthmus in AD 872?  Over the next few days, I’ll provide a truncated version of the talk I delivered two weeks ago in San Antonio at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America.  The talk was titled, “Niketas Ooryphas Drags His Fleet:…

  • Niketas Ooryphas in the Chronicon Maius (16th century)

    Here’s the final installment of the translation of later Greek texts about the 9th century Byzantine admiral, Niketas Ooryphas.  Most scholars who have worked on the diolkos have cited Pseudo-Sphrantzes’ Chronicon Maius (“Longer Chronicle”) as the only later evidence for Niketas dragging his fleet.  But as previous posts on the Life of Basil, John Skylitzes &…

  • Niketas Ooryphas (John Zonaras version)

    Another translated text of Niketas Ooryphas, the Byzantine admiral, this one by the 12th century Byzantine historian John Zonaras in Epitome historiarum (lib. 13–18), Page 430 line 9.  Zonaras’ version shows influence both by the Vita Basilii and John Skylitzes / George Kedrenos.  I set the Zonaras text in parallel with the Life of Basil.  The original Greek text…

  • The Corinthia at the AIA 2011

    A great weekend in San Antonio at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, which included some good (and bad) Tex-Mex fare, a trip to the Alamo (which triggered some deep nostalgia for Texas history and 7th grade Texas history classes), the annual Isthmia reunion dinner, and numerous strolls with Kate and baby…

  • Niketas Ooryphas transfers his fleets (Skylitzes & Kedrenos versions)

    In the late 11th and early 12th centuries, respectively, John Scylitzes and George Cedrenus both wrote works titled Synopsis Historiarum. The former’s Synopsis begins with the year 811 AD and continues through 1057 AD, while  Cedrenus’ Synopsis begins with the creation of the world and concludes in the year 1057 AD. Both provide a version…

  • Niketas Portages the Isthmus (and exacts fierce vengeance)

    Over the next week, I’ll be providing translations of all the Byzantine passages narrating Niketas Ooryphas’ transshipment of vessels over the Corinthian Isthmus in the early 870s AD.  Today’s installment is Theophanes Continuatus Chronographia (pp. 300-301 in the Bekker 1838 edition), which narrates the life of the Emperor Basil I.   See Paul Stephenson’s brief explanation of this source.…