War, rebellion and epic in Byzantine North Africa : a historical study of Corippus' Iohannis / Andy Merrills.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Merrills, A. H. (Andrew H.), 1975- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Corippus, Flavius Cresconius. Johannis.

Corippus, Flavius Cresconius.

Epic poetry, Latin (Medieval and modern)--History and criticism.

Epic poetry, Latin (Medieval and modern).

Africa, North--In literature.

Africa, North.

Byzantine Empire--In literature.

Byzantine Empire.

Africa, North--History--To 647.

Byzantine Empire--History--Justinian I, 527-565.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxii, 293 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2023.

Summary:

In around 550 the Latin poet Corippus composed his epic Iohannis to celebrate the forgotten wars of a Byzantine general against the 'Moorish' or 'Berber' peoples of North Africa. This book explores the rich narrative of that poem and the changing political, social and cultural environment within which he worked. It reappraises the dramatic first decades of Byzantine North Africa (533-550) and discusses the ethnography of Moorish Africa, the diplomatic and military history of the imperial administration, and the religious transformations (both Christian and 'pagan') of this period. By considering the Iohannis as a political text, it sheds new light on the continued importance of poetry and literature on the southern fringes of imperial power, and presents a model for reading epic as a historical source. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

Contents:

'I sing of things that are not unknown' : epic and history in Byzantine Africa

Prelude to a war : Byzantine Africa 533-546

Past and future in the Iohannis

Corippus and the Moorish world

'For every blade was red' : war and bloodshed in the Iohannis

Christianity and paganism in the Iohannis.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 13 Oct 2023).

Other Format:

Print version:

ISBN:

9781009392013 (ebook)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.