Late Antique and Byzantine History

Con il presente intervento si illustra il percorso metodologico volto alla realizzazione di un’edizione critica della Dichiaratione de molti luoghi dubbiosi d’Ariosto, e d’alquanti del Pet[rarca]. Escusation fatta in favor di Dante (post 1539) di Benedetto Di Falco (ca. 1470 – ca. 1550). L’indagine prende avvio da una prima completa ricostruzione delle informazioni biobibliografiche ad oggi note sul Di Falco e da un esame delle sue opere di ambito linguistico. Si presentano, quindi, le nuove acquisizioni: in particolare la riemersione dell’esemplare a stampa postillato della Dichiaratione conservato presso la Fondazione Biblioteca Benedetto Croce di Napoli (95a B 44). Nella prospettiva dell’edizione critica, si offre una disamina preliminare della struttura e dei contenuti dell’opera e, infine, si delineano gli obiettivi del progetto: attraverso l’edizione del testo, si intende non solo restituire una riconsiderazione della figura di Benedetto Di Falco come intellettuale e grammatico, ma anche proporre una più precisa contestualizzazione delle sue teorie linguistiche all’interno del contesto culturale napoletano del primo Cinquecento, offrendo così una nuova prospettiva sulle discussioni di argomento linguistico sviluppatesi a Napoli nella prima metà del Cinquecento a partire da un’opera finora solo marginalmente considerata dalla critica.

Adjacent fields of research are of much interest in modern medical
science—neurobiology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, robotics, etc. At the
same time, if the existence of high-tech medical equipment is disregarded,
it is possible to discover that modern medicine exists not only within the
ethics of Hippocrates but also depends in many ways on his ideas in the
fields of theory and practice. This fact underscores the important
methodological role of the history of medicine in the emergence of the
researching doctor. The comprehensive nature of posing scientific
problems in this field allows us to investigate the circumstances,
emergence and development of the scientific method in medicine and
identify epistemological reserves for promising scientific discoveries. This
ensures the formation of the researcher’s perception of the world based on
the understanding of the continuity of the development of modern
scientific medicine and rational medicine of the preceding centuries. There
is an opportunity to find the answers to important methodological
questions: 1) how substantial are the differences between the medicine of
antiquity and that of the 19th century; and 2) is it possible to assume the
existence of a systematic appraisal of the approaches in medical theory
and practice, with which it becomes possible to describe and analyze the
prerequisites of discoveries at various historical stages?

Kastoria, a town in Greece today, had been an important center of craft manufacturing and trade since the medieval ages. When Kastoria became a part of the Ottoman Empire in 1380s, the city had already been a center of fur manufacturing and silk industry, which was the reason of why the city had a special importance for the Ottoman sultans. Sultan Mehmed II and Sultan Suleyman I built mosques and complexes in Istanbul as the symbols of the significant importance given to the glorious capital of the empire and surprisingly, Kastoria is the other city where both of these sultans built their mosques for the very same reason. Direct relations between Kastorians and the Ottoman capital had started when the Romaniote Jews of the city was deported to Istanbul in the spring of 1455 and in the subsequent decades, the forced immigrant Orthodox Christian householders from Kastoria were settled in the quarters of the Aya Yani Gate in Istanbul. In the Ottoman era, a variety of different inter-civic networks and connections were formed between Kastoria and Istanbul and the historical actors at the center of all these relations were members of the Orthodox Christian furriers’ community, who would play an important role in the formation of inter-civic trade networks, economic/cultural exchanges, and movements of objects between Istanbul and Kastoria in the following centuries.
The “Age of Mink (Samur Devri)” in the 17th century history of the Ottoman Empire marked the golden age of the Kastorian furriers in Istanbul as the chief fur dealers of the Ottoman court, which marked the beginning of the inter-urban exchanges and movements of objects between Istanbul and Kastoria such as precious furs for the court,  valuable gifts for the Orthodox Patriarchate, paintings of Istanbul on the walls of the mansions in Kastoria,  and  liturgical objects crafted in Istanbul in the cathedral Church of Kastoria. Finally, in the age of modernization, imperial medals given to the prominent members of the Orthodox Christian community in Kastoria consisted an important part of the exchanges and mobility of objects between the two cities until the end of the 19th century.
This study addresses the role of the valuable furs crafted in Kastoria in the formation of the inter-civic networks with Istanbul. This study highlights the contribution of the fur trade to the multi-cultural urban development of Istanbul and Kastoria in the Ottoman era. These inter-civic networks, inter-urban exchanges and connections, through fur trade, valuable gifts, liturgical objects and artifacts greatly contributed to the development of Istanbul and Kastoria as cosmopolitan and imperial cities in the Ottoman period and impressive monuments of these relations, networks and movements of objects are still standing in Istanbul and in Kastoria as the memory of the valuable furs of Kastoria and the Kastorian furriers.

In contrast to the “silence” of its Vorlage (Samuel-Kings), Chronicles presents a detailed account of the involvement of king David in the preparations for the building of God’s temple (1 Chr 21-29). In its closing chapter (1 Chr 29), the ageing ruler invites the leaders of the people to show their magnanimity vis-à-vis the project, in imitation of his own generosity. The analysis of this episode tends to emphasize its links with the Exodus’ account of the building of the Tabernacle (Exod 25-40) and, although less frequently, with the offerings of the princes in Numbers 7. It appears as a telling example of the Chronicler’s tendency to engage in “recapitulative historiography” for the sake of affirming the continuity between the “time of the beginnings” and its glorious culmination in the golden age of David and Solomon. In this paper, I look in the opposite direction to investigate the links between the preparations under king David and the efforts of the first generation of returnees, described in Ezra 1-6 (viz. Ezra 1; 2:68-69; 3). The correspondences between these two texts suggest a process of narrative analogization of king David’s generation and that of the first returnees. I propose that such a phenomenon is aimed at vindicating a generation “stained” by the dishonor of having neglected the sacred duty of rebuilding the deity’s ruined temple (Hag 1:4.9). Building on this hypothesis, the essay also offers a fresh proposal regarding the Chronicler’s historiographic technique: alongside its recapitulative quality, it also relies on the potential the (re)telling of a story may have on reshaping the reader’s interpretation of later narratives and events.

Außerordentlich gut dokumentiert sind mehrere Fuhrwerk-Expeditionen von Frankfurt/Main nach Basel . Darunter auch eine "Wettfahrt" - ein Fuhrwerk auf französischen, eines auf deutschen Straßen.

Leider hat die Redaktion die Volltext-Edition der Quelle unterschlagen. Bei Interesse: bitte einfach ein eMail schreiben.

Cummian’s Paschal letter of c. AD 632 provides a unique account of a Christian community changing their Paschal tradition. However, while scholars have disagreed upon the tradition adopted by Cummian’s community most have accepted that it related in some way to the 532-year Paschal table compiled by Victorius of Aquitaine in AD 457, but they have been unable to explain the relationship. This article identifies that all the published editions of Victorius’s table preserve substantial redactions transmitted by the manuscripts of the table. When these redactions are corrected Cummian’s account of the table that saint Patrick ‘brought and made’, always observing Paschal luna 14 after 21 March, corresponds to Victorius’s tabulated Paschal criteria when the saltus of each 19-year cycle is retarded by thirteen years. It thus emerges that in c. AD 458 Patrick brought to Ireland a 532-year table that he had adapted so that its Paschal dates and lunae were identical with those of the Alexandrian Paschal table compiled by Annianus in c. AD 412. This was the Alexandrian table endorsed by Cyril, bishop of Alexandria in AD 418, excerpts of which were transmitted subsequently by the Prologus S. Cyrilli of c. AD 456, Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525, Isidore in c. AD 636, and Bede in AD 725. Consequently, in Ireland the disciples of Patrick since c. AD 458, and the southern Irish churches that adopted the decision of Mag Léne in c. AD 632, were celebrating the Paschal criteria that would be declared as canonical for the Roman church by pope Honorius (AD 625–638). Subsequently, in AD 716, Iona and its familia adopted these same Paschal criteria as transmitted by the continuation of Dionysius’s Paschal table.

Please note this article is published with Brepols Publishers as a Gold Open Access article under a Creative Commons CC 4.0: BY-NC license. The article is also freely available on the website of Brepols Publishers https://www.brepolsonline.net/action/showBook?doi=10.1484%2FM.SEM-EB.5.143067 under this same license.

The present article deals with some issues related to the visible Christianisation of the topography of Late antique Philippopolis. The scanty epigraphic and archaeological data as well as written sources allow to trace some of main features of the process that started at the end of 3 rd century as well as identify the driving forces for them which are locals, but also imperial.

À partir du XIIIe siècle, des auteurs tels que Jordanus Rufus (1200-1247), Lorenzo Rusio (1288-1347), Manuel Diez de Calatayud (XIVe siècle) ou Dom Duarte (1391-1438) plaidaient pour une utilisation raisonnée et mesurée du mors. Ils recommandaient des embouchures « douces », adaptées au tempérament, à la morphologie et a l’utilisation du cheval. Les textes et les images montrent pourtant des signes de gêne, d’évitement et de douleur induits par l’usage du mors. Cette communication propose donc de croiser les données issues des traités techniques et de l’iconographie médiévales pour analyser la conception, l’usage et les effets du mors sur les montures médiévales.

This paper explores the use of transliterated Greek terms in the Ecclesiastical History of John of Ephesus, focusing on communicational and documentary vocabulary within sixth-century Constantinopolitan contexts. It offers the first typological study of these Greek loanwords in Syriac, highlighting their semantic precision and institutional relevance. Four categories are proposed—hapax legomena, ecclesiastical technical terms, administrative language, and extended technical usage—each exemplifying John’s strategic linguistic choices. The study argues that these terms reflect a shared cultural literacy in Greek among Syriac-speaking Christians and emphasize the material and bureaucratic entanglements between imperial and ecclesiastical spheres. Comparisons with Coptic sources suggest broader patterns of linguistic hybridity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The main thrust of the present study was to improve Iraqi EFL learners' speaking. To this end, 30 EFL learners were selected as the participants of the study. All participants took the pretest followed by 25 ninety-minute sessions in which the learners presented their lectures (totally 9 lectures) followed by the challenging questions that they had to answer and the correction feedback in terms of vocabulary, structure, collocation, etc. Moreover, every three lectures followed by taking a progressive test, the posttest and the delayed posttest. Having followed the repeated measure ANOVA, the researcher put the data into SPSS 22 and analyzed it in terms of both descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that teaching speaking through the tenets of sociocultural theory is influential and equally effective for all participants irrespective to their level or age. The results of the study indicated that presenting lecture improves the learners' speaking development, consciousness-raring regarding learning processes and learning linguistic items, collaboration, autonomy and motivation. It was also pointed out that learning is not a straightforward transmission of knowledge provided by the teacher but a transformative and complex process for which learner's agency, engagement and their co-construction of knowledge are crucial.

In the early third century AD, the African provinces faced political and military changes that altered their cultural and religious landscapes. Christianity emerged, challenging the pagan authority deeply rooted in society. This period saw intense doctrinal debates between Christians and pagans, which influenced the development of historical writing. Local elites documented these conflicts, reflecting the era's spirit and attempting to create histories that represented their identities and beliefs. This study investigates the Christian-pagan conflict and its impact on Christian historical narratives in the third century AD by examining contemporary sources and the motivations behind their authors.

In the 8th-century Parastaseis Syntomoi Chronikai there is a section dedicated to seven spectacles of Constantinople (theamata) (37-43); majestic sculptural ensembles, the town’s most esteemed attractions, through which prestige and power of the imperial capital and the emperor himself was manifested in the most sublime form.
Our paper will be focused on the impressive sculptural ensemble listed as the “spectacle number one” – a unique depiction of a kneeling emperor, his wife and a huge elephant, supposedly representing Emperor Justinian II and his wife Theodora of Khazaria. The description of the same sculptural ensemble is found in two other historical sources: The Patria of Constantinople and the book About statues of columns, and views of Constantinople by George Kodinos. We shall argue that the depicted scene can hardly be associated with the notorious emperor, the “tyrant of Constantinople”, but should instead be read in the context of a quite particular story from the life of Emperor Justinian I. The spectaculum primimum – the most important spectacle of early Byzantine Constantinople, will thus be interpreted as a superb testimony to the rule and character of Justinian I, to his political power and public personality, but also to his most intimate devotion and piety.

Presentación
En la Antigüedad, la mimesis constituyó un procedimiento y un objetivo artístico, pero también sirvió de marco conceptual para interpretar el mundo y de principio fundacional en la representación fiel de imágenes. A menudo se ha afirmado que el arte medieval estaba desvinculado de este modelo interpretativo y de las técnicas mecánicas asociadas. Sin embargo, la producción de imágenes de culto que se ceñían estrictamente a la forma del arquetipo espiritual conformó un modo específico de mímesis cristiana.
Desde finales del siglo XII las descripciones plásticas comenzaron a observar criterios formales que actualizaban el arte de las dinastías flavia y antonina para alumbrar obras guiadas por el logro de un naturalismo emergente. Desde ese punto de partida, las formas miméticas en el arte fueron resultado de una nueva observación de las herencias artísticas previstas, pero también de una afinada observación de las manifestaciones de la realidad creada. Esa atención no produjo una distorsión en la actitud devocional ante las imágenes. Al contrario, registraba con creciente precisión los perfiles de la creación divina. Pero yendo más allá, al convertir a las imágenes en paradójicas duplicaciones del mundo, se introdujo un interrogante nuevo: la mayor de las naturalidades era acaso la puerta hacia una artificialidad consumada. La veracidad ilustraba al tiempo que confundía, porque la aspiración de toda ficción es alcanzar una similitud difícilmente distinguible de la realidad observable.

Rationale
In antiquity, mimesis functioned as both an artistic procedure and an aesthetic objective, while also serving as a conceptual framework for interpreting the world and a foundational principle in the representation of images. Although it has often been asserted that medieval art was detached from this interpretative model and its associated mechanical techniques, the production of cult images that adhered strictly to archetypal forms constituted a distinct mode of Christian mimesis.
From the late twelfth century onward, artistic descriptions began to adhere to formal principles that re-engaged with Flavian and Antonine artistic traditions, aiming to create works informed by an emerging naturalism. This development marked the evolution of mimetic forms in art, which resulted not only from a renewed engagement with classical artistic legacies but also from a more refined observation of the manifestations of created reality. However, this heightened attentiveness did not diminish the devotional function of religious imagery. On the contrary, it facilitated an increasingly precise delineation of divine creation. But going further, by turning images into paradoxical duplications of the world, a new question was introduced: the greatest naturalness was perhaps the gateway to a consummate artificiality. The veracity illustrated as well as confused, because the aspiration of all fiction is to achieve a similarity that is difficult to distinguish from perceptible reality.

Este documento reúne los resúmenes de las ponencias presentadas durante las XX Jornadas de Bizancio, celebradas en la Universitat de València (4-7 de Junio de 2025). Los trabajos aquí recogidos abordan diversos aspectos del mundo bizantino desde enfoques históricos, arqueológicos, literarios y artísticos, ofreciendo una visión actualizada y multidisciplinar de los estudios bizantinos.

This document brings together the abstracts of the papers presented at the 20th Jornadas de Bizancio, held at the University of Valencia (June 4–7, 2025). The contributions gathered here explore various aspects of the Byzantine world from historical, archaeological, literary, and artistic perspectives, offering an updated and multidisciplinary view of Byzantine studies.

E.K. Pringipakis, “Proclus, Archbishop (Patriarch) of Constantinople (c. 385/390-(†)446)”, in A.G.C. Savvides (ed.), New Biographical Dictionary of Byzantium (NBLB), Vol. IV/V (double), Athens : Papazisis Publ., 2025, pp. 763-776 (in Greek). π. Ευάγγελος Κ. Πριγκιπάκης, «Πρόκλος, Αρχιεπίσκοπος (Πατριάρχης) Κωνσταντινούπολης (c. 385/390-(†)446)», στο Α.Γ.Κ. Σαββίδη, Νέο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό του Βυζαντίου [ΝΒΛΒ], τ. IV/V, Αθήνα : Παπαζήσης, 2025, σ. 763-776.

The replication of recipes from the Greek alchemical tradition—both its Graeco-Egyptian and Byzantine branches—offers valuable insights into a field whose technical texts were long regarded as either nonsensical or chimerical. By assessing the feasibility of historical techniques, experimental reconstructions enable scholars to better understand alchemical practices and clarify obscure terminology or problematic textual passages. Interdisciplinary research teams and individual scholars have demonstrated that such replications bridge the gap between textual sources and practical applications, shedding light on technical knowledge, material culture, luxury production, and cost-saving techniques. Equally important, they contribute to addressing complex issues of textual transmission. At the same time, they reveal an often-overlooked aspect of alchemical technical texts: their verbal representation of the visual dimension of alchemical processes. This paper presents selected examples of how replication enhances our understanding of Greek alchemical recipes. It also highlights how collaboration between historians, philologists, and experts from various fields (such as chemists, archaeometallurgists, goldsmiths, and art historians) advances the interpretation of Greek alchemical technical texts.

Через  війну,  розпочату  росіянами,  стало  вкрай  цінним  і необхідним фотографування й публікування рукописів. Історія повторюється – росіяни  знову  прийнялися  нищити  українську  історію,  руйнуючи  музеї, бібліотеки  та  університети.  На  жаль,  нині  вже  низка  унікальних  матеріалів знищені,  але  у  нас  є  можливість  зберегти  електронні  копії  найціннішого

V članku so predstavljene glavne značilnosti zgodovinopisnega in arheološkega diskurza na temo skupnostnih identitet v zgodnjem srednjem veku na Slovenskem. Na podlagi kritične analize izbranih strokovnih besedil, nastalih med koncem 18. in sredino 20. stoletja, so interpretirane metodološke značilnosti obeh raziskovalnih področij pri oblikovanju izjav na obravnavano temo ter njun medsebojni odnos pri tem.

SERVICE DE PRESSE -Ce document est réservé à un usage privé. Il ne peut être transmis sans autorisation de l'éditeur. Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2025 Observateurs et spectateurs dans l'art et la littérature de l'Antiquité au XVII e siècle

The present coin report puts into spotlight a notable piece from the Mihail C. Sutzu collection (Numismatic Department, Library of the Romanian Academy)-a follis minted at Antioch (as Theoupolis), under the reign of Phocas (AD 602-610). The analysis emphasises the potential of coinage to reflect significant tendencies, changes or events in the development of both central structures and various cities, in this case the city of Antioch, which acquired a new name during the reign of Justinian I (AD 527-565) as a consequence of the severe earthquakes affecting the city.

Justinian's era inaugurated a period of unparalled political struggles and persecutions. However the role of the Hellenes philosophers during that period is obscure. They were never prosecuted, tortured, exiled or condemned to death, although the remained pagans. On the contrary they were used as ambassadors to the Persian court.

Alexander N. Korshenko
BRONZE OLBIAN COINS WITH AN ARCHER
This article deals with the study of small bronze Olbian coins with the bust of the goddess Tyche on the obverse and аn archer on the reverse. 123 specimens of these coins were registered and used for the die-analysis. Three groups were distinguished on the basis the size of the goddess’ head. Coins of these groups, comprising «Large» (5 obverse dies), «Medium» (4 dies) and «Small» (4 dies) groups, do not have common reverse dies, but within of each group a net of crossed links between the obverse and the reverse is observed. All in all 31 reverse dies were identified. A rough estimate of the volume of this issue is 150.000-200.000 specimens.

The article reinterprets Richard Krautheimer's ‘Renaissance’ of late antique church architecture in early medieval Rome: instead of a top-down evolution towards an increasingly consistent imitation of late antiquity, he sees the 8th century as a complex history of conflicts and disputes over Rome's material heritage between the local interests of the urban aristocracy and the reformist zeal of certain popes, who were aiming for a grand narrative.

NE OF THE FEW established facts of Synesius' early career is that he pursued the higher education available at Alexandria. The lifelong friendships he formed there suggest the importance this period always retained for him. Less attractively, perhaps, so does the intellectual smugness displayed in collegiate sniffs at rival Athens (Ep. 56[54].136) or in apt interpolations ofthe classics he read aloud to friends (Dion 62A-D ).1 It is no surprise that, as Cyrene's ambassador to the court of Arcadius,2 Synesius sought an intellectual approach to his city's practical advantage. He wooed one official, Paeonius, with the gift of a silver astrolabe. The gift came wrapped in flattery for Paeonius' taste for erudition, with a hint that it should work for the advantage of cities. 3 The tactic had some success, he later reported (Ep. 154), but not enough; he was obliged to remain in Constantinople seeking other support. The De regno reflects his frustration at this period with the luxurious and unresponsive court. More usefully, it also repeated the appeal he had made to Paeonius before a wider audience. 4 This application evidently had the desired effect, for from Aurelian, who succeeded Eutropius' appointee Eutychian as praetorian prefect and led the tribunal that condemned the eunuch himself to 1 References and texts follow those of N. Terzaghi, ed., Synesii Cyrenensis hymni (Rome 1939) and Opuscula (Rome 1944); A. Garzya, ed., Synesii Cyrenensis epistolae (Rome 1979, followed by the standard numeration when his diverges). 2 On the embassy see T. D. Barnes, "Synesius in Constantinople,"

In historical studies, media discourses and the entertainment industry, Viking themes enjoy a reputation that goes beyond their historical relevance. It is surprising that some people discuss the well-known legend of Troy exclusively from a Viking perspective. A similar example: in a recent Hungarian paper we can read about the Scandinavian etymology of the male name Zotmund. It is important to emphasize that male names ending in -mund are well documented throughout Europe. A common method is the incorrect use of the terms “Germanic” and “Scandinavian” as synonyms. The connection is facilitated by the fact that medieval chroniclers, including Jordanes and Paulus Diaconus, traced the origins of the Goths and Lombards to the North.

The Roman Empire encouraged the development of arid landscapes into fertile agricultural land to feed and support their growing empire. This phenomenon can be especially seen in the southern Levant and North Africa, where arid marginal areas became flourishing settlements attracting trade and people. However, some have claimed that some regions were over-exploited, which subsequently worked in conjunction with the Justinianic Plague and the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) to cause the decline of these regions. One such contested region is the Negev desert, where several articles have raised that ecocide was a factor in the decline of the region. Using archaeological and environmental data, this presentation will argue that there was limited to no over-exploitation of the Negev during Late Antiquity. The analysis will include an evaluation of the Roman agricultural methods in the Negev desert, a review of the available data from the agricultural settlements and a re-examination of the dating of the finds.

The mosque in Syntagma square, known as “Trianon”, is the oldest surviving
ottoman building in Nauplion. It dates in the late 16th century during
the first ottoman occupation of Nauplion. During the second Venetian occupation,
the building was used as a church dedicated to St Antony. After
the Greek Liberation, the mosque was converted to a school and after a
short term, to an orthodox cathedral. In 1915, the mosque was turned to a
theater.
Although the structure is not facing serious static problems, there is
a great deal of internal interventions such as the loft, which is made of reinforced
concrete, the walled up windows and the furred ceilings, as well
as external additions such as small structures, serving residence and merchandise.
The walled up portico (1915) misquotes the facade of the main
entrance to the monument.
Our study for the protection and the conservation of the monument,
consists of removing all the innovative elements (loft, ceilings etc.), reopening
the windows and the portico and giving back to the building its
old grace and harmony. We suggest a combination of both traditional and
modern technical methods for the restoration of the monument. We believe
that the use of the monument as a theatre is not appropriate. The
spirit of both its original function and its historical value must guide the
new use of the building. A historical archive of ottoman buildings and architecture
of Nauplion, in combination with related exhibitions and scientific
meetings is more appropriate for the former mosque.

Bυζαντιακά. Επιστημονικό όργανο Ελληνικής Ιστορικής Εταιρείας 38 (2023-2024) (Αφιέρωμα στη μνήμη του Καθηγητή Σπύρου Τρωιάνου) 113-152.

This paper examines the multi-year and multifaceted activity of Michael Psellos, focusing on the considerable power and diverse influence he acquired and exercised in northwestern Asia Minor—particularly within the so-called “Opsikion Thema”—throughout the mid-11th century (approximately the late 1040s to early 1070s). The incursion of powerful individuals like Psellos into this region during the period was facilitated through a variety of means, including political and economic lobbying, imperial grants, private purchases, and the often broad—and at times abusive—application of institutional mechanisms such as the “charistike” (i.e. the granting of control over monasteries and their properties) and pakteusis (οf a "proasteion").
Psellos’ activities in the region, potentially extending beyond its formal boundaries, may also have included elements of social solidarity and local engagement. This is suggested by his familial origins and ties—likely linked to Nicomedia in Bithynia—his personal relationships and local acquaintances, and his brief monastic stay around 1054/55 at a monastery on Mount Olympos in Mysia, near Prusa (modern-day Bursa).
Nevertheless, Psellos' primary motivation appears to have been self-interest. He operated as a de facto social and economic advisor, benefactor, and patron (“despotes”, “euergetes”) to a broad array of individuals—including former and current officials, bureaucrats, private citizens, laypeople, and monks—most of whom resided within Opsikion. These individuals often found themselves in opposition to local state authorities (such as the “krites”, i.e. judge, of Opsikion), as well as ecclesiastical and monastic powers. Simultaneously, Psellos played a significant role in the region as an investor, caretaker, and administrator—serving in various capacities such as “charistikarios, “phrontistes”, and “despotes”.
In conclusion, Psellos’ influence and activities in Opsikion were both shaped by and contributory to the development of a complex web of personal networks—better described as a grid of intersecting affiliations—grounded in personal relationships, dependencies, and a wide range of private financial, political, social, and spiritual interests.

Βασικό αντικείμενο έρευνας του άρθρου αποτελεί η πολυετής και πολυσχιδής δράση αλλά και η συνακόλουθη αξιοσημείωτη ισχύς και ποικιλόμορφη επιρροή που απέκτησε και άσκησε ο Μιχαήλ Ψελλός ειδικά στην περιφέρεια του «θέματος Ὀψικίου» και ευρύτερα στη βορειοδυτική Μικρά Ασία κατά τα μέσα περίπου του 11ου αι. Η δραστηριοποίηση αυτής της πασίγνωστης –πολλαπλώς εξέχουσας αλλά και εξαιρετικά ιδιάζουσας, πολύπλοκης και πολυπράγμονος– προσωπικότητας στην εν λόγω περιφέρεια εμπεριείχε ίσως και το στοιχείο της κοινωνικής αλληλεγγύης και τοπικής συνεισφοράς, τουλάχιστον εάν ληφθούν υπόψη οι οικογενειακές καταβολές του Ψελλού (πιθανώς σχετίζονταν με τη βιθυνική Νικομήδεια) αλλά και η βραχύβια παραμονή του ιδίου σε μονή του μύσιου ή βιθυνικού Ολύμπου πλησίον της οψικιανής Προύσας (περ. 1054/55) · ωστόσο, ενείχε μάλλον ως βασικό στόχο το ίδιον όφελος: Ο Ψελλός διατέλεσε μεν κοινωνικός και οικονομικός σύμβουλος, προστάτης και πάτρωνας («δεσπότης», «εὐεργέτης») πολυάριθμων ανθρώπων (πρώην ή νυν αξιωματούχων, υπαλλήλων και απλών ιδιωτών, λαϊκών και μοναχών κ.ά.) έναντι των τοπικών κρατικών («κριτὴς Ὀψικίου»), εκκλησιαστικών και μοναστικών αρχών στο Οψίκιον, αλλά παράλληλα υπήρξε και σημαντικός επενδυτής και διαχειριστής (ως «χαριστικάριος», «φροντιστής» και «δεσπότης») στην ίδια ακριβώς περιοχή.

Ευχαριστώ θερμά τον κ. Αλέξανδρο ΜαζαράκηΑινιάν, καθηγητή του Πανεπιστημίου Θεσσαλίας, για την παρα χώρηση του υλικού και τις παρατηρήσεις του στο κείμενο. Τα σχέδια των αγγείων πραγματοποιήθηκαν από την γρά φουσα και η επεξεργασία τους από την Ναταλένα Ζάχου, αρχαιολόγο. Οι φωτογραφίες των αγγείων έγιναν από την γράφουσα. 1 Η θέση ταυτίστηκε ύστερα από τις επιφανειακές έρευνες κατά τα έτη 19901995 και 2001, βλ. ΜαζαράκηςΑινιάν 1995• MazarakisAinian 1998• Μητσοπούλου 2005. Η πανεπιστημιακή ανασκαφή της αρχαίας πόλης ξεκίνησε το 2002 και συνεχίζεται έως σήμερα υπό τη διεύθυνση του καθηγητή Α. ΜαζαράκηΑινιάν και σε συνεργασία με την Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων. Τα αποτελέσματα των ανασκαφών είναι διαθέσιμα στην ιστοσελίδα του Πανεπιστημίου Θεσ σαλίας: (με ενημερωμένη βιβλιογραφία). 2 Για την ανασκαφή και αρχιτεκτονική μορφή του οικοδομήματος, βλ. ΜαζαράκηςΑινιάν 2016• ΜαζαράκηςΑινιάν 2017γ, 315316. Για τα πρώτα αποτελέσματα της μελέτης της κεραμικής, βλ. Τσιλογιάννη 2018. Επισκευή στα τέλη του 3ου ή τις αρχές του 2ου αι. π.Χ. επιδέχτηκε και το ιερό του Μεσαίου Πλατώματος, ενώ την ίδια περίοδο κατασκευάζεται και το υπερκείμενο μνημειακό Άνδηρο 4. Ενδιαφέρον παρουσιάζει και η διαπίστωση ότι τόσο το ιερό του Μεσαίου Πλα τώματος όσο και το Κτήριο 5 εγκαταλείπονται την ίδια περίπου περίοδο (τέλη 1ου αι. π.Χ.-αρχές 1ου αι. μ.Χ.), βλ. Ma zarakisAinian 2017α, 83• ΜαζαράκηςΑινιάν 2016, 454.

REMAINS OF WALL PAINTINGS OF THE LAST QUARTER OF THE 11TH CENTURY IN THESSALONIKI
During a rescue excavation conducted by the ex-9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities in a plot of a public school in Thessaloniki, on the crossroad of Agiou Dimitriou and Ioulianou street, a middle byzantine burial chapel (10,50 x 5,60 m.) has been brought to light, decorated with wall paintings on the surface of the eastern wall. Only a few remains of three figures and of aniconic decoration were revealed in place;  under the pavement of the chapel, two tombs containing multiple burials have been excavated and dated by a follis of Nicephorus Botaneiatis c. 1078-1081. The chapel is located in the yard of a previous rich decorated early Christian dwelling. The paper gives an identification of the wall paintings and of the reason of the certain use of space (chapel and burials) in the Middle Byzantine Thessaloniki.