Logothetenchronik

As Logothetenchronik one is Byzantine world chronicle from the late 10th century, referred, under the author's name Symeon Magistros or Logothetes has survived. It has sometimes been ascribed to Symeon Metaphrastes , but this is controversial in recent research and ultimately cannot be proven.

According to research, the logothetical chronicle is based on a basis, which forms the so-called epitome . This is an older anonymous chronicle, which originally extended to the death of Justinian II (711) and which probably also includes material from the work of Traianos Patrikios . This representation was later expanded to include a sequel to 842. The author of the Logothetenchronik then edited this already existing work and continued it until 948. Alexander Kazhdan assumed that the author used various sources for the period after 842, including city annals of Constantinople , and for the period from 913 onwards he was drawing on his own experience.

The Logothetenchronik is available in different versions, which are copies or adaptations of the original chronicle, whereby some manuscripts contain additions and sometimes differ in details. While the Chronicle ends in the arrangements by Leon Grammatikos (perhaps a fictional author) and Theodosios Melitenos (who, according to recent research, is a phantom author who never existed) in 948, another expanded version of the Chronicle extends to 963 and is handed down as a continuation of the chronicle of Georgios Monachos . The latter arrangement is available in two editorial offices (A and B), with editorial A showing the most similarities with the chronicles of Leon and Theodosius. Otherwise, the very problematic history of the chronicle presents several difficulties for modern research.

The source value of the logothet chronicle varies. While for the 8th century the chronicle does not provide any information that goes beyond the work of Theophanes , it offers important material for the 9th century, especially since the chronicle apparently took a much more negative view of the Macedonian dynasty than in other relevant sources (e.g. Johannes Skylitzes ). However, the chronicle is not always reliable, especially since there are also deviations in the various editorial offices.

Editions and translations

• Staffan Wahlgren (ed.): Symeonis Magistri et Logothetae Chronicon . de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2006 ( Corpus fontium historiae Byzantinae. 44 Series Berolinensis , ZDB -ID 413429-1 ) [critical edition with introduction]
• Staffan Wahlgren: The Chronicle of the Logothete. Liverpool University Press, Liverpool 2019. [English translation]

literature

• Herbert Hunger : The high-level profane literature of the Byzantines . Vol. 1, Munich 1978, pp. 354ff.
• Alexander Kazhdan : Symeon Logothete . In: Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . Vol. 3 (1991), pp. 1982f.
• Prosopography of the Middle Byzantine period . First division Prolegomena . Berlin 1998, pp. 20–22 [with detailed references and information on the various text editions].

Remarks

1. ↑ In summary: Hunger, Literatur , Vol. 1, p. 355; Prosopography of the Middle Byzantine period . First Prolegomena Section , p. 21.
2. ↑ For sources and parallels to other works see Wahlgren, Chronicon , pp. 118ff.
3. ↑ Kazhdan, Symeon Logothete , p. 1982; Wahlgren, Chronicon , p. 5, however, is more skeptical .
4. ↑ Cf. Bruno Bleckmann : Fragments of pagan historiography on the work of Julians . In: Andreas Goltz, Hartmut Leppin : Beyond the borders. Contributions to late antique and early medieval historiography . Berlin 2009, pp. 61–77, here p. 73, note 54.
5. ↑ For details on the tradition: Wahlgren, Chronicon , p. 27ff.