engleski

The Reflection of Ancient Greek Biography in Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus’ Vita Basilii

The Vita Basilii, compiled by Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913-959) in honour of his grandfather Basil I (867-886), appears as the first laudatory biography in Byzantine literature glorifying the emperor’s life and deeds (βασιλικὸς λόγος). Previous research demonstrates that, in compiling the work, Porphyrogenitus used two main representatives of ancient biography, Isocrates and Plutarch, as models. The research in this paper is based on the analysis and comparison of the structure and content of Isocrates’ encomium Euagoras, dedicated to the Cypriot ruler of Salamis, Plutarch’s biography Alexander, depicting the life and works of Alexander the Great, and Porphyrogenitus' account of Basil's life according to topoi specific to a basilikos logos (prologue, homeland, origin, birth, physical appearance, upbringing, character traits, achievements in war and peace, fortune, comparison to the previous reign, epilogue and concluding prayer). The aim is to determine which elements of ancient biography are reflected in Basil’s biography, i.e., to what extent its author imitated the ancient models of biography and in which segments of the work he brings his own innovations.

Vita Basilii ; Basil I ; Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus ; Byzantine literature ; ancient biography ; basilikos logos

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