Ioannes Skylitzes

The two images on this page are illustrations from the same work, Ioannes Skylitzes' Synopsis of Histories that details the reigns of Byzantine emperors from the year 811 to his time.[1] The first folio depicts Emperor Nikephoros Phokas, who reigned from 963-969, entering Constantinople in triumph.[2] Riding horseback, the emperor is welcomed by a band of musicians, which echoes the horn player that announced the arrival of Marcus Aurelius. 

The second image represents the triumphant entrance into Constantinople of Basil II, the emperor who reigned until 1025 following Nikephoros. In this depiction, Basil is preceded by his prisoners and followed by his horsemen, thus emphasizing his role as the central, victorious figure. [3] Basil, like Nikephoros, is headed for a building--again signifying the moment of entry.

The images from Skylitzes' book are reminiscent of the Roman triumphs through their extravagant entries and inclusion of the defeated. However, the use of chariots has disappeared and, more significantly, invocations of deities are asbent. This could represent a shift away from religious invocations, although neither the book's publication nor the events depicted fell under a period of Byzantine Iconoclasm (the first under Constantine V in the 8th century, and the second under Leo V in the 9th century).[4]

These illustrations suggest a few things. First, there is the assertion that triumphs were still held for worthy individuals. Their inclusion in Skylitzes' Synopsis of Histories also defends their significance to the contemporary society. While little is definitively known about the Greek scholar himself, the sheer number of copies of this text that remain today attest to its widespread circulation.[5] Skylitzes therefore ensured that the triumphs of the Byzantine era would be preserved throughout history.