In a reply to a previous article published in Byzantion Nea Hellás, the Greek historian Andreas Gkoutzioukostas has claimed that in a passage in Book VIII of Theophylact Simocatta’s History, the word Sklavinia was used as an adjective, not as a noun, and that the Byzantine historian frequently used adjectives derived from ethnic names. This article is a demonstration that both claims are in fact wrong, as Theophylact had very precise reasons for avoiding adjectives derived from ethnic names. Such reasons have much more to do with the narrative strategies that he employed than with the norms of the Greek language. His usage of Sklavinia is also mirrored by Hugeburc of Heidenheim’s transcription of St. Willbald’s account of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Keywords:
Theophylact Simocatta, Slavs, ethnicity, barbarians, Vita S. Willibaldi, Theophanes
Curta, F. (2016). Theophylact simocatta revisited. A response to Andreas Gkoutzioukostas. Byzantion Nea Hellás, (35), pp. 195–209. Retrieved from https://revistas.uchile.cl/index.php/RBNH/article/view/44581
