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The Chronography of George Synkellos: A Byzantine Chronicle of Universal History from the Creation
 
 
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The Chronography of George Synkellos: A Byzantine Chronicle of Universal History from the Creation (Hardcover)

by William Adler (Translator), Paul Tuffin (Translator) "'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.' ..." (more)
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 600 pages
  • Publisher: OUP Oxford (22 Aug 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0199241902
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199241903
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.4 x 4.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,121,504 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Review

This splendidly produced volume makes available a fascinating genre of historiography, important for our understanding of the Byzantines' understanding of themselves and their place in history. (Andrew Louth, Sobornost )

This translation together with the introduction advances our understanding of Byzantine culture in the eighth and ninth centuries, besides shedding light on the development of Christian world chronicles. (The Journal of Theological Studies )

a valuable source and contribution (Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Volume 66, Number 4 )


Product Description

In the early ninth century, George Synkellos, a monk of Constantinople set out to compose (in Greek) a universal chronicle beginning with the creation of the universe. Synkellos' death prevented him from seeing this ambitious project through to completion, and it fell to a fellow monk, Theophanes Confessor, to complete the narrative from the reign of the emperor Dicoletian up until his own day. The purpose of the chronicle, as Synkellos states on several occasions, was to confirm the orthodox dating of the incarnation of Christ at the completion of the 5500th year from the creation of the universe. In the course of demonstrating this point, Synkellos cites extensively from numerous histories and chronicles from Egypt and the Ancient Near East, some of which are unattested elsewhere. Since the author comments at length on his authorities and predecessors, his work is also a rich resource of information about the origins and development of early Christian chronography. Despite its recognized importance, the chronicle has never been translated into a modern language. The English translation provided here, together with introduction and notes, promises to make this influential and wide-ranging history more accessible to Byzantinists, students of ancient historiography,and specialists in biblical chronology, early Judaism, Egypt, and the Ancient Near East.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A very useful tool, 27 Dec 2002
By W.R.Pearse (Ipswich, Suffolk United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is the first translation of the Chronography of George Syncellus into a modern language, and it makes a mighty volume. The introduction is useful, and detailed; passages quoted by Syncellus are properly referenced, and the volume must be an essential purchase for anyone interested in Byzantium.

The period covered is from the creation, until the death of Diocletian. Syncellus died before he had completed the work (in 812), and a continuation to 813 was added by Theophanes. However this continuation has not been included, perhaps because of pressures of space on what is already a very heavy volume.

I can't evaluate the translation quality. Generally it is clear. The indexes are useful -- indeed essential -- and the layout is good.

One negative feature which unfortunately must be mentioned is that the translators have chosen not to translate the names, but to transliterate whatever form has been transmitted. George Syncellus is not a familiar name to most people. Neverthless, that is the form of his name by which all the literature mentions him. To transcribe the Greek 'Synkellos' may give a feeling of moral superiority; it will undoubtedly cost the publisher sales.

The same obscurantist practise has been followed in most cases, although the editors didn't quite dare to render 'Jesus' as 'Iesous'. They do render a great many familiar biblical and classical names by transliterating the Greek letters, and then (inevitably) are obliged to supply a key so we can find out the familiar form of the name. To whom is this practise of transliteration of value? Every reader will be obliged to mentally translate the names as he goes along. While it might have been nice if the humanists had transliterated rather than latinized the names, that decision was taken five centuries ago, and to ignore it only makes difficulties for the reader.

Nevertheless, this book is a treasure. The chronographies and chronicles of antiquity are little known, not least because few exist in English, and the topic only appeals to a few. With this volume, a wealth of ancient erudition becomes available. It will perhaps be most often read for the extensive citation of Julius Africanus.

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