Meet Anastasius the Librarian, one of the most fascinating controversialists of the ninth century. A native of Rome, scholar of Greek, and (probably) anti-pope for all of three days, he was no friend of Byzantium. He disliked and mistrusted "the Greeks" and argued that they were not Romans as they thought. His arguments have held sway in the west ever since. My guest is Réka Forrai (University of Southern Denmark), an expert on Anastasius' writings and thought; see especially her fascinating study ‘The Sacred Nectar of the Deceitful Greeks: Perceptions of Greekness in Ninth Century Rome,’ in A. Speer and P. Steinkrüger, eds., Knotenpunkt Byzanz: Wissensformen und kulturelle Wechselbeziehungen (Berlin 2012) 71-84.
56. Cyril, Methodios, and the conversion of the Slavs, with Mirela Ivanova
55. If you could meet and interview one person from Byzantine history, who would it be and why? (Part II), with Paroma Chatterjee and Merle Eisenberg
54. The power and journeys of the True Cross and other holy relics, with Lynn Jones
53. What can we know about the life of the Prophet Muhammad?, with Sean Anthony
52. Crowd behavior in imperial Rome and Constantinople, with Daniëlle Slootjes
51. Byzantine poetry on its own terms, with Marc Lauxtermann
50. If you could meet and interview one person from Byzantine history, who would it be and why?, with Fotini Kondyli and Alexander Sarantis
49. Why is there an Egyptian obelisk in the hippodrome of Constantinople?, with Cecily Hilsdale
48. What did Byzantine music sound like? (The answer is more political than you’d expect), with Alexander Lingas
47. The materiality of Byzantine objects, with Elizabeth Dospěl Williams
46. Raiders, marauders, ravagers, and pirates: their impact on Byzantine life, with Alexander Sarantis
45. Neoliberalism in academia and its impact on the humanities, with Tamar Hodos
44. How can historians use new media to disseminate ideas?, with Merle Eisenberg
43. Is it time to abandon the rubric “Byzantium”?, with Leonora Neville
42. Byzantium in video games, with Troy Goodfellow
41. Ravenna, capital of empire between east and west, with Judith Herrin
40. Byzantine tales of horror and the macabre
39. The monastic experience, with Alice-Mary Talbot
38. Manuscripts, databases, and the joys of Byzantine literature, with Dave Jenkins
37. The study of Byzantine skeletons, with Chryssa Bourbou
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