In Search of the Byzantine Herodotus

This paper offers a cursory introduction to the topic of the Round Table and the challenges it addresses. It reviews the state of the art and outlines possible new avenues for research. Herodotus’ Histories was read throughout the Byzantine period; however, scholarship has largely overlooked the study of its reception in Byzantium. This RT works towards producing a first overview of the material, intellectual and literary contexts in which Herodotus was read and used in the Eastern Roman Empire. It asks how Herodotus was relevant for Byzantine readers, looking into their motivations to engage with the Histories. It explores the Byzantine manuscripts of Herodotus and their marginal annotations, which often reveal details about the circumstances in which manuscripts were produced and circulated, as well as readers’ reactions to the text. It further investigates how Herodotus’ text was selected, excerpted and rearranged in collections serving various didactic and intellectual purposes. Finally, it analyzes the Byzantine use of Herodotus as a source for historical information and model for history writing, as well as allusions in Byzantine culture at large. It seeks to unveil the socio-cultural functions, ideological implications, and political undertones of reading Herodotus in Byzantium through the lenses of their own time.