Via Medieval News, news of a splendid site on Twitter called Cry for Byzantium. The author, Sean Munger, is microblogging the history of the Byzantine empire. The most recent post is:
479. I’ve heard Marcian is planning to march on the palace! I’ve got to get out of here! *begins packing frantically*
I like the rather dry humour; another recent post reads: "Odoacer has sent me a delegation. I hate to recognize him as the de facto ruler of the West, but I have no choice. *sighs*". Even more than that, I like the flavour of the early chronicles that is given by the form of the tweets. See for example, Isidore of Seville, Chronicon, 108:
108. Honorius, with Theodosius the Younger, the son of his brother, ruled for fifteen years. With these two governing, the Goths took Rome and the Vandals, Alans and Suevi seized Spain. In this time Pelagius preached the dogma of his error against the grace of Christ. A council of 214 of bishops was convoked in Carthage for his condemnation. In this time Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, was regarded as noteworthy.
And the tweet:
July 410. Alaric the Goth has sacked Rome. Three days of pillage. I don’t even know what happened to Honorius.
Munger's website is here.
Comments