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purple motes

a journal of whimsy and hope

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Timarion

The Byzantine satire Timarion, written in medieval Greek, is generally thought to have come from twelfth-century Constantinople. The title character Timarion journeys to a fair in Thessalonika, falls ill on his return journey, and is prematurely taken for dead and conducted to Hades. There he encounters intellectual and bureaucratic-administrative affairs similar to those in twelfth-century Byzantium, but with telling differences.

John Italos & Michael Psellos: masculine troubles in Byzantium

Representations of John Italos and Michael Psellos in the Byzantine satire Timarion indicate how each fared in relating masculinity to gynocentric society. … Read the post John Italos & Michael Psellos: masculine troubles in Byzantium

Timarion learned that intellectual life is better in Byzantine Hell

According to the medieval satire Timarion, judges in Byzantine Hell ruled that authorities should not be followed in contradiction to facts of life. … Read the post Timarion learned that intellectual life is better in Byzantine Hell

Konstantinos Akropolites burning the book of neo-pagan Timarion

In a rhetorically rich letter, Konstantinos Akropolites harshly disparaged the outrageously impious and amusing Byzantine literary work the Timarion. … Read the post Konstantinos Akropolites burning the book of neo-pagan Timarion