This thesis aims to provide a new evaluation of the
Histories of Agathias Scholasticus, one of the main sources for the reign of Justinian (527-565 CE). By contextualising the author and approaching his text with the tools of modern research, the thesis casts light on crucial aspects of sixth-century history, literature, and language. Through an interdisciplinary approach (history, literary criticism, philology, and linguistics), the research reappraises the
Histories in all its complexity, focusing both on Agathias' specificities as a historian and on his role within early Byzantine historiographical production. Through a tripartite structure, constituted by a first section on myth, marvels and miracles in Procopius and Agathias, a second on Agathias’ ethnography, and a third on Agathias’ language, the thesis argues that this work is not just a classicising history written after the manner of Herodotus and Thucydides; not just a continuation of the
Wars of Procopius, but also the work of an idiosyncratic, independent author who made idiosyncratic, independent literary choices.
Date of Award | 29 Nov 2023 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | |
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Supervisor | Jason Peter König (Supervisor) & Gianfranco Agosti (Supervisor) |
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- Agathias
- Byzantine historiography
- Greek language
- Byzantine history
- Procopius of Caesarea
- Full text embargoed until
- 28 June 2027
Reassessing Agathias : early Byzantine historiography beyond Procopius
Ficulle Santini, L. (Author). 29 Nov 2023
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis (PhD)