Byzantine Literature "From the 4th century AD forward, ancient Greek Literature gives way to the Christian one. The next great moment of Greek literature is Byzantine literature, which displays a great variety of forms and despite its mainly theological character it is the spiritual expression of the Medieval Greek world. The influences of the Greeks can be traced back to the reverberations of the ancient Greek process of thinking and the Byzantine civilization, the ideas of Renaissance and above all, the oral and poetic creation of the Greek people (Epic of Digenis Akrites 9th- 11th century, historic akritika songs [songs describing the lives and feats of Akrites], songs for the klephts). Akritika songs are folk songs referring to the life of Akrites, the military body of the Byzantine state who, according to the chronographers of that time, were the vigilant defenders of the borders. Based on these songs, the Epic of Digenis Akrites was written by an unknown poet. It is a very long poem, the first written monument of Modern Greek literature." Source: Literature, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Republic Hellenic Republic - Ministry of Foreign Affairs The History of Byzantine Literature: from Justinian to the end of the Eastern Roman Empir (527-1453) An overview of the Byzantine Literature. Byzantine Literature A great article about the Byzantine literature forms. Culture in the Late Byzantine Period Article on the character of the late Byzantine period. Porta Aurea, byzpoems A collection of Byzantine poems and epigrams translated into modern Greek. (Site is in Greek) Byzantine Literature A site dedicated to the Byzantine Literature (in Greek). Excellent! Elizabeth Barrett Browning: GREEK CHRISTIAN POETRY A wonderful collection of poems by Byzantine church poets translated in English. Saint Kassianh An excellent site dedicated to Saint Kassiani. Several poems translated in English, links and biographical information about the female poet. The site includes the song "The Fallen Woman" sung in the Greek Orthodox church during the Holy Week. Anna Comnena. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001 Information about the life and works of Anna Comnena. Justinian and Theodora (Justinian, Theodora and Procopius) Internet resources and research papers on these historical Byzantine figures. Byzantium: The Byzantine Studies Page An overview of the character of the Byzantium with a lot of links to Byzantine ecclessiastic texts online. A great resource for a deeper study on the period. XI. DIGENIS AKRITAS AND BYZANTINE LITERATURE Who Digenis Akritas was and his connection with the Byzantine Literature. DIGENIS AKRITAS Information about the epic. Akritika songs in Real Audio A collection of Akritika (songs about the heroic acts of Akrites, the guards of the Easter borders of the Byzantine Empire) in Real Audio. Click on the icon to listen to the songs. You need to have Real Audio downloaded into your system. The site is in Greek. St. Pachomius Library An online encyclopedia of the Orthodox Christianity with full online texts written by church writers. Mount Athos : : Sample Images Samples of images found in Manuscripts of the Athos Monastery. An effort is being made to transfer the manuscripts into digital format in order to preserve them and create a digital library. ByzNet Byzantine Studies on the Net Emperors List Page A great site that summarizes the history of the Byzantium. Photos of Constantinople A wonderful resource on Constantinople, the city of all cities. The site includes a historical overview, photos and links. Links Basic Resources for Byzantine Studies Greek Literature by Katerina Sarri |