The corpus of letters by Michael Choniates (1138-1222), the learned Metropolitan of Athens, provides a reliable historical source for Athenian life in the 12th and 13th centuries. The 181 letters are models of Byzantine eloquence and rhetorical elegance; through this edition, complemented by prolegomena, regesta and indexes, the rhetorical skill and stylistic elegance of the correspondent present a complete picture of life (fiscal system, books, trade etc.) in the Byzantine province.

Autorentext

The author is Research Fellow in the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at the Free University of Berlin.