Keskiaikainen Rooma: Bysanttilaisten ja vieraiden käsitykset Bysantista ja bysanttilaisuudesta (843–1204)

In my my Master’s Thesis I examine, how the Byzantines and the Latins, but also to a small
extent Old East Slavs and Arabs, saw Byzantium, the nature of Byzantium and the Byzantines
in the Middle Byzantine period in the years 843‒1204. In addition I examine the language of
the Byzantines and especially whether it was regarded as a Greek or a ‘Roman’ language by
the contemporaries.

As my primary sources I use Leo VI’s Tactica, Constantine VII’s De Administrando, Anna Komnene’s Alexiad and several hagiographies – all of the mentioned are of Byzantine origin. Some of these hagiographies are from Symeon Metaphrastes’ Menologion and a longer one is dedicated to Saint Neilos of Rossano. In addition I use the western texts of Liutprand of Cremona and some Chronicles of the First Crusade. I also use the Old East Slavic Russian
Primary Chronicle. I have opened the Arabs' point of view with the help of secondary literature. My thesis has an emphasis on the context of the research works of Anthony Kaldellis, who also examines Byzantium and the nature of Byzantium, highlighting their Roman nature.

In my work I express explicitly that the leading Byzantine intelligentsia considered Byzantium to be Rome and its people Romans, because Byzantium was a direct continuation of the Roman Empire. Arabs shared the Byzantines’ point of view, but both Latins and Old East Slavs saw Byzantium as Greece and Byzantine people as Greeks – this was due to their language and also to their geographical location. Byzantine hagiographies that I use form their own group differentiating from the texts of the leading intelligentsia. They do not concentrate on secular
matters and may associate the notion of fatherland with their own home cities, not with the entire country.

My thesis addresses that Byzantines saw themselves as the most special nation, and that formed a significant part of their worldview. Byzantine identity consisted of for example language and Eastern Christianity but also of clothing. Both Byzantines and foreigners were able to recognise a Byzantine based on his clothing. Byzantines evidently also connected their nation to Ancient Romans and acted as their descendants.

In my work I also touch on how the Byzantines referred to the language they spoke. Leo VI, Constantine VII and the hagiography of Neilos of Rossano call Latin the language of the Romans, but the latter also considers the Greek language to be Hellenic. Anna Komnene, considerably after these authors and texts, regards, for her part, the Greek language as Greek but sometimes also as ‘Roman’. Out of all of my external sources, only Liutprand of Cremona
pays attention to the language of the Byzantines, connecting it logically to the Greek language, while he calls his own language Latin.