Byzantine re-enactment

[spyros]

As shown by several members of this forum, many Greeks look at the Byzantine period as 'Roman' and therefore something alien.
I think that's very sad. The Byzantine period was a thousand years of rich cultural development. If you look only at the end, or what lands were lost, you forget what was transferred. By the time Byzantium ended, Europe was on the rise and took over the torch of European culture.

As for the Turks, of course they are heirs of Byzantium, as are the rest of the Balkans and in lesser extend Russia. There is injury but no insult, as in Greece’s case vs. “vulgar Latium” so did Nova Roma “conquered” the Ottomans

In the West the new Germanic kingdoms never equalled Rome in splendour or power, but they sure tried to emulate it, and passed on Roman culture and religion to their descendants. In that way, they made sure Rome never died.

The Turks, likewise learning from their enemies, ended up as a city-based centrally-led state, not a tribal confederation of cattle-driving nomads, as their ancestors had been. They formed an Empire that allowed all cultures and religions to remain what they were, despite the state being Turkish and Islamic. That ensured not only the passing on of Byzantine cultural inheritance as well as a stable state for the next 500 years.

Vortigen and Theo, I’ll have to agree with both of you on those points but without trying to sound or be an apologist for Greeks, and even though this is out of topic allow me to add a couple of ideas.

The main problem is something found in almost every modern culture, especially in Europe today. That is the clash between “Ethnos” (sense of belonging in a cultural group) and “Genos” (a racial group).

Since we are talking about Greeks and Byzantium allow me to use these terms.

Happily enough, although this is a continuous clash, in many cases it has been subsided. So for example in the UK a man from Kent belonging to the English Genos co-exist without any problem with a welsh who might see himself as a Celt but belongs to the English Ethnos.

This is not the case for Greece. Or at least this is no longer the case of Greece. It used to be, Loukianos for example, although he was a Syrian no one would deny that he was he was part of the Hellenic Ethnos in every sense. Rome had the intelligence to become an Ethnos and Romania continued to be the same, everyone, Greek, Armenian, Syrian, Illyrian, and even Turks where Romans.

The Ottoman Empire was not by the way. Ottomans divided the population into three Ethoi, rum, all their Christian subjects, chifut, the Jews, and the faithful, the Muslims (I’m sorry I can’t remember the Turkish word).

When Greece rebelled in 1821 the timing was excellent because of Romantism. But that proved to bee a two edged sword, what was Greek was good, what was Byzantine (even though it was also Greek IMHO) was bad. I’m ashamed to admit that in a large extend Byron and poets like him created more or less the Modern Greek idea. Modern Greece, unlike it predecessors, followed the ideals of its time and adopted Genos. Today, Greece is the most homogenous country in Europe, 95% of our population declare themselves to be ethnic (in the modern meaning of the word, that is of the same Genus) Greeks.

I see. So the average Greek has basically adopted the caricatured view of Byzantium that the West has held for the last 1,000 years or more. Western Europe has never expressed any gratitude for the Eastern Romans. And now there's no nation that gives the Byzantines their due for saving Europe from the first wave of Islamic conquest.

As for the average Greek, Theo, he or she believes the same that almost everyone except for some Byzantologist and history crazies like most members of a particular internet forum, believes all around the world. Why should the average Greek be any different? Most people these days don’t give a fig for their history.

Also, as I mentioned on my previous post, Byzantium is hijacked by extreme right wingers and in a larger extend by the church. These two groups do not have many friends here.

To return to Byzantium I’m constantly amazed as I read more and more about it by the unbelievingly pagan soul of the empire. I had the good fortune of buying Cyril Mango’s “The Oxford History of Byzantium” (Nefeli publications for Greek readers). It includes an essay by the same titled New religion, Old civilization. Even though I suggest that this book should be read, as well as Maria Lampadaridou-Pothou “Πήραν την Πόλη, πήραν την”, which has been translated in English also (Byzantium the fall, Athens, 2001, Terzopoulos publishing house) a novel describing the last years of Byzantium. Books like those two mentioned, my not change the common conception on Byzantium but at least I would suggest that on should what one condemns

In the hopes that you will make sense of my rant and excuse my off topic drift I bid you Ypno Kallon (good sleep)