De Ceremoniis
The De Ceremoniis (fully De cerimoniis aulae Byzantinae) is the conventional
History and sources
It was written or at least commissioned by Emperor
One of the book's appendices are the Three Treatises on Imperial Military Expeditions, a war manual written by Constantine VII for his son and successor, Romanos II.
Composition
In its incomplete form chapters 1-37 of book I describe processions and ceremonies on religious festivals (many lesser ones, but especially great feasts like the
These protocols gave rules for imperial progresses to and from certain churches at Constantinople and the imperial palace,
The second book follows a very similar composition: (1) religious feasts and the description of palace buildings,[6] (2) secular ceremonies and imperial ordonations,[7] (3) imperial receptions and war festivities at the hippodrome, and later customs instituted by Constantine and his son Romanos.
See also
References
- S2CID 191473649. Featherstone, Michael; Jana Grusková; Otto Kresten (2006). "Studien zu den Palimpsestfragmenten des sogenannten "Zeremonienbuches" I. Prolegomena". Byzantinische Zeitschrift. 98 (2): 423–430.S2CID 192206992.
- .
- ^ See also the reconstruction of "Constantinople about 1200". Byzantium 1200. 2009. a three-dimensional model of the quarter, and the presentation of a reconstruction by Jan Kostenec.
- ^ The hippodrome was as important for court ceremonies as the Hagia Sophia for imperial religious ceremonies and rites of passage. It was not only used during horse races, but also for receptions and its banquets and the yearly celebration of Constantinople's inauguration on 11 May. The "Golden Hippodrome" was an own ceremony to inaugurate a new season and to fix the calendar of the ceremonial located in the hippodrome. Occasionally also votive horse races were given, like on 22 July for the feast of Saint Elias. Woodrow, Zoe Antonia (2001). "Imperial Ideology in Middle Byzantine Court Culture: The Evidence of Constantine Porphyrogenitus's 'De ceremoniis'". Durham University.
- ISBN 978-0713153163(page 232)
- S2CID 190179559.
- ISBN 9789004162860.
Sources
- "Leipzig, Universitätsbibliothek, Rep. I 17, ff.21v-265v". Book of ceremonies Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ φιλοχρίστου καὶ ἐν αὐτῶν αἰωνίων βασιλεῖ βασιλέως ὑιοῦ Λέοντος τοῦ σοφωτάτου καὶ ἀειμνήστου βασιλεῦ συντάγμα τι καὶ βασιλείου σπουδῆς ὄντως ἄξιον ποίημα (late 10th century).
Edition and Translation
- Reiskius, Ioannes Iacobus, eds. (1751). Constantini Porphyrogenneti Imperatoris Constantinopolitani libri duo De Ceremoniis Aulae Byzantinae. Vol. 1. Lipsiae: Ioannis Friderici Gleditschii.
- Reiskius, Ioannes Iacobus, eds. (1754). Constantini Porphyrogenneti Imperatoris Constantinopolitani libri duo De Ceremoniis Aulae Byzantinae. Vol. 2. Lipsiae: Ioannis Friderici Gleditschii.
- Reiske, Johann Jakob; Leich, Johannes Heinrich, eds. (1829). Constantini Porphyrogeniti Imperatoris De Ceremoniis Aulae Byzantinae libri duo graece et latini e recensione Io. Iac. Reiskii cum eiusdem commentariis integris. Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae. Vol. 1. Bonn: Weber.
- Reiske, Johann Jakob; Leich, Johannes Heinrich, eds. (1830). Constantini Porphyrogeniti Imperatoris De Ceremoniis Aulae Byzantinae libri duo graece et latini e recensione Io. Iac. Reiskii cum eiusdem commentariis integris. Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae. Vol. 2. Bonn: Weber.
- Konstantinos Porphyrogennetos: The book of ceremonies in 2 volumes. Byzantina Australiensia. Translated by Ann Moffatt (Reiske ed.). Canberra: Australian Association for Byzantine Studies. 2012. ISBN 978-1876503420.