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.
36. Slavery in late antiquity and Byzantium, with Noel Lenski
35. Theophano: A Byzantine Tale, with Spyros Theocharis and Chrysa Sakel
34. An antidote to toxic medievalism, with Amy Kaufman and Paul Sturtevant
33. The study of ethnic identities in Byzantium and beyond (Listener Questions II), with Brian Swain
31. Ethnicity and empire in China and Byzantium, with Shao-yun Yang and Ying Zhang
30. Byzantium in modern Greek life (Listener Questions I), with Dimitris Krallis
29. The many identities of Hagia Sophia, past and present, with Bob Ousterhout
28. How we choose our research topics, with Tia Kolbaba
27. The hidden treasures of sigillography, with Jonathan Shea
26. Homer in Byzantium, with Baukje van den Berg
25. Disability in Byzantium, with Christian Laes
24. Social class in Byzantium, with Efi Ragia
23. Digital humanities and Byzantium, with Kuba Kabala
22. Social distancing in early Byzantium, with Ellen Muehlberger and David Brakke
21. Coping with pandemics, with Tina Sessa and Kyle Harper
20. Carolingian and Byzantine practices of empire compared, with Jennifer Davis
19. ”Get out of the way, Battal Gazi is Coming!”: Turkish films on Byzantium, with Buket Kitapçı Bayrı
18. Byzantine soft power in an age of decline, with Cecily Hilsdale
17. The peoples of the Caucasus between Rome, Iran, and the steppe, with Garth Fowden
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