Byzantine Hours Works and Days in Byzantium. Fowden, Elizabeth. Byzantine Hours Works and Days in Byzantium. Ministry of Culture Directorate of Byzantine and PostByzantine Monuments: Athens. 2001. [Great exhibition catalog. Lovely layout. Ample, but small, photographs. Very readable. Focus on daily life and ideology.]
Contents
Byzantium: An Ecumenical Empire
Byzantine Fortification
The Byzantine City
Images of Everyday Life
The Brilliance of Byzantine Civilization
An exhibition description is available. The description will help give a good idea of the contents of the exhibition guide.
The book is
available for
purchase through the Hellenic Centre's giftshop. (Scroll down
the page for the listing.)
Byzantine Women and their
World Kalavrezou, Ioli. Byzantine Women and Their
World. Harvard University Art Museum: New Haven. 2003.
[Note: I highly recommend that you
purchase your own copy of this work. It's a pity that I
missed the
actual exhibition.]
Description of the exhibition/exhibition catalog from the press
release.
The Glory of Byzantium: Art and
Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era A.D. 843-1261. Edited
by Helen C. Evans and William D. Wixom. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York
Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
byzantine ·
Byzantine & Antiquities Studies List A group discussion forum.
List content includes on-line forums and lecture and is run by the
Byzantine & Antiquities Studies Institute of Delta R&D, Inc.
SCAbyzantine A group for discussion where SCA members
can discuss the history of the Byzantine Empire within the context of
the Society. Topics can include clothing, daily life, history, travels,
food, living quarters, etc.
BYZANS-L a discussion list devoted to current issues in Byzantine studies. Since going on-line in December 1992, BYZANS-L has grown to include 200-300 subscribers in about 25 countries. Topics over the last four years have covered a wide range of subjects related to historical Byzantium (ca. 312-1453 C.E.) and its larger cultural legacy.
The modern perception of women in the medieval world has suffered from a lack of evidence relating to women's lives. This same lack has distorted the view of the role of women in Byzantium. "The prevailing image is of women who dressed modestly, with their heads covered, and who were deprived of worldly experience, committed to bearing and raising children as their primary occupation, and confined to the home for most of their lives. " (pg 13) What's more, they were assumed to be illiterate. The author wishes to correct these perceptions. "Byzantine women, even more than their counterparts in Western Europe, held a prominent, often powerful, and respected place in society." (pg 13)
It is important to acknowledge that Byzantine society placed women in an inferior status to men as citizens. They were legally barred from positions of power and could only be second to men in the social hierarchy.
Most accounts are written by men for men and virtually no commentary on women are included except for aristocratic women, due to their prominence in society. Their inclusion in texts are often the result of outrageous or highly unusual behavior, thus their experience is not the norm.
Women were responsible for their household, family and related domestic needs. Cleaning, cooking, washing, shopping, baking, visiting nearby relatives, meeting other women to "exchange news and gossip." (pg 14) With strong family ties, women participated in marriage and child rearing decisions.
They monitored and ministered to the family's health--both physical and mental well-being. Their knowledge about health was practiced through choices in food, water, plant, music, dance, and shared tales to nourish both the body and soul.
Discussions on women in society depend on extant visual evidence who's historical period of creation must be taken into account, as traditions and customs changed over time. Byzantium inherited a Greco-Roman tradition whose images persisted in the Byzantine world but were framed in a Christian context that grew to take its place throughout the centuries.
Everyday women were not a focus of art, but incidental, coming out of biblical context--namely illustrate manuscripts and wall paintings in churches. (pg 15) The author details several examples that serve as a peek into the secular lives of women. (pgs 15-17)
©2005 Apollonia
Voss Last Updated:
Sunday, 25. January 2009
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