Michael Glycas
Encyclopedia
Michael Glycas or Glykas was a Byzantine
historian
, theologian, mathematician
, astronomer
and poet
. He was probably from Corfu
and lived in Constantinople
(now Istanbul
).
His chief work is his Chronicle of events from the creation of the world to the death of Alexius I Comnenus (1118). It is extremely brief and written in a popular style, much space is devoted to theological and scientific matters. Glycas was also the author of a theological treatise and a number of letters on theological questions.
A poem of some 15-syllable verses, written in 1158/1159 during his imprisonment on a charge of slandering a neighbor and containing an appeal to the emperor Manuel I, is still extant, and is commonly regarded as the first dated work of Modern Greek
literature, since it contains several vernacular proverbs. The exact nature of his offence is not known, but his punishment was to be blinded.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, theologian, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. He was probably from Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
and lived in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(now Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
).
His chief work is his Chronicle of events from the creation of the world to the death of Alexius I Comnenus (1118). It is extremely brief and written in a popular style, much space is devoted to theological and scientific matters. Glycas was also the author of a theological treatise and a number of letters on theological questions.
A poem of some 15-syllable verses, written in 1158/1159 during his imprisonment on a charge of slandering a neighbor and containing an appeal to the emperor Manuel I, is still extant, and is commonly regarded as the first dated work of Modern Greek
Modern Greek
Modern Greek refers to the varieties of the Greek language spoken in the modern era. The beginning of the "modern" period of the language is often symbolically assigned to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, even though that date marks no clear linguistic boundary and many characteristic...
literature, since it contains several vernacular proverbs. The exact nature of his offence is not known, but his punishment was to be blinded.