Arabo-Byzantine relations in the 9th and 10th centuries as an area of cultural rivalry

International audienceNinth century is conceived a period of important cultural changes in Byz- antium. At that time, written culture of the empire emerges from the "Dark Age" in which literary production was in decline. The most important participants of these changes are few larger-than-life and easy to pick out figures. Interestingly, all of the most important Byzantine 9th-century men of letters were sent as emissaries to the Abbasid capital: John the Grammarian, Photius, Constantine/st. Cyril, Leon Choirosphaktes. The only one who was not - Leon the mathematician, was actually said to have been invited avidly to Baghdad by the caliph. It cannot be just a coinci- dence. In my opinion it is connected with the growing consciousness in Byzantium of the cultural prowess of the Arabs. In 9th century the Byzantines were starting to consider the caliphate as not only a temporary phenomenon at its eastern bor- der, but as a permanent rival. This recognition was not only political. The Byzan- tines seemingly became aware of the cultural excellence of the caliphate, in which the impressive, large-scale Graeco-Arabic translation movement was taking place at that time. At the same point, the Byzantines constituted the main axis of ideo- logical rhetoric of the Abbasids of the Graeco-Arabic translation movement. They were presented in the sources of the period as not worthy the ancient Greek culture which they accidentally fell heirs to, and the Arabs as the true, worthy inheritors. The big embassies provided an opportunity to this kind of interaction. That being the case, they gained particular cultural character. They appear to have been re- garded by both parties as a way to get political affairs resolved, but furthermore as an occasion to display the supremacy over the rival empire. Consequently, the lead- ers of the embassies between Byzantium and the Abbasids seem to be on a centre stage of the supposedly conscious cultural rivalry

Arabo-Byzantine Traffic of Manuscripts and the Connections between the Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement and the First Byzantine 'Renaissance' (9th-10th Centuries

International audienceThe 9th and 10th centuries saw the parallel appearance in different corners of the Mediterranean of movements that shared common characteristic: unprecedented interest in ancient culture. Escalations of literary interest in ancient Greek culture, in Byzantium and in the Abbasid caliphate, took place almost simultaneously. Interestingly, there is almost a perfect correlation between the list of works translated into Arabic at that time and the list of the very first manuscripts that have undergone the process of transcription into minuscule in Byzantine scriptoria. In this paper I am developing a theory of Dimitri Gutas who maintained that these two processes were connected and that the manuscripts in Byzantium could have been copied because of the specific Arabic demand for these works. As the Arabs were highly interested in the Greek philosophical and scientific literature and as they needed the manuscript, the Byzantines possibly became aware of this matter and according and they may have provided the Arabs with fresh copies of the Greek manuscripts that were in their possession

Different faces of security perceptions of the “human security” concept

The perception of safety is a very individual feeling although it is the standard and the level of living that undoubtedly affect various fears and threats appearing in rich and poor societies. The aim of this article is to compare attitudes towards safety and its perception by people living aside, but in completely different social and economic conditions. Both South and North Koreas are historically very close to each other yet, totally different conditions of living on both sides of the Korean Peninsula make safety quite opposite notions. The residents of the Brasilian districts of poverty and crime, infamous favelas, live in a world where being a member of a gang ensures safety. For other inhabitants of Brasil and tourists, security means staying as far away as possible from favelados i.e., the residents of poor districts. For determined African refugees, Europe seems to be a safety heaven and even the risk of losing their lives on the long and most dangerous route to Europe is worth taking. However, for many Europeans their safety ends with the influx of immigrants.Postrzeganie bezpieczeństwa jest odczuciem bardzo indywidualnym, chociaż to standard i poziom życia niewątpliwie wpływają na odmienne lęki i zagrożenia pojawiające się w społeczeństwach ubogich i zamożnych. Celem tego artykułu jest porównanie stosunku i postawy wobec bezpieczeństwa, a także jego percepcji przez ludzi żyjących obok siebie, ale w zupełnie innych uwarunkowaniach społecznych i ekonomicznych. Korea Północna i Południowa to kraje historycznie bardzo sobie bliskie, ale obecne diametralnie inne warunki życia na północy i południu Półwyspu Koreańskiego sprawiają, że bezpieczeństwo dla jednych i drugich to zupełnie dwa różne zagadnienia. Mieszkańcy dzielnic biedy i przestępczości w Brazylii – osławionych faweli – żyją w świecie, gdzie przynależność do gangów jest warunkiem bezpieczeństwa. Dla innych mieszkańców Brazylii oraz wielu turystów bezpieczeństwo to przebywanie jak najdalej od favelados, czyli mieszkańców biednych dzielnic. Dla zdeterminowanych uchodźców z Afryki Europa jawi się jako raj bezpieczeństwa i nawet ryzyko utraty życia w czasie odbywania długiej i niebezpiecznej podróży do Europy jest warte podjęcia. Natomiast dla wielu Europejczyków ich bezpieczeństwo kończy się wraz z napływem imigrantów

Classical scholarship: the Byzantine contribution

Discusses the effect that Byzantine work has had on our perception of ancient Greek language and literature (especially Homer and drama)

Reading and Commenting on Aristotle

Questo studio esamina brevemente la ricezione Bizantina della filosofia di Aristotele. Include uno studio sui manoscritti principali del corpus aristotelicum e dei principali lettori di Aristotele

Trials of Philosophers and Theologians under the Komnenoi

Questo articolo studia i processi per eterodossia a Bisanzio tra i secoli XI e XI