Remarks on the Role of Women in Byzantium through the Epigrams on the Cross by Nicholas Kallikles

Abstract

Scholarly poetry and epigrams in particular, have been a literary means of expression for the scholars in Byzantium. On the one hand, they helped express ideas and attitudes towards life and on the other hand, conveyed their religious feelings and deep religious beliefs. A plethora of engraved Byzantine epigrams were used on exceptional works of Byzantine micro-art, such as crosses and staurothékes, so as to emphasize the religiosity of the person who ordered the making of such a complicated and grand piece. Among those people were noble women and specifically, the wives of Byzantine emperors held an exceptional position. Some cases include Irene Doukaina and her second daughter Maria Komnene during the 11th-12th century, who assigned the composition of such epigrams to their contemporary scholar of the royal court Nicholas Kallikles. These epigrams are going to be examined in this article emphasizing the most important information they provide, including the motivational factors for these orders.