Menander Protector

Menander ( protector; † after 582 ) was a late antique or early Byzantine Greek historian in the time of the Eastern Roman Emperor Maurikios.

Life and work

Menander's surname suggests that he has the Imperial Guard, the protectores domestici belongs. Perhaps he obtained this very well paid jobs, who then included hardly real obligations, as a reward for writing his historical work. It is more likely that Menander had already made ​​a career at the court. Otherwise, we have virtually no knowledge about his life, but know that he was apparently active as a poet ( an epigram is handed down ), had studied law and had classical training. Menander, who was a Christian, no doubt, is to have part of his youth spent quite intemperate; He enjoyed life in the big city Konstantin Opel, but he finally moderated, possibly due to the training that was given to him. He clearly belonged to the educated civilian elite of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In the time of Emperor Maurikios ( 582-602 ) wrote in ancient Greek Menander his history, which followed on from the histories of Agathias and treated at least the years 558-582. In principle is possible that Menander's work even further handed than suggest the fragments, but it was in the late antique historiography rather uncommon to treat the rule of the reigning emperor. Maurikios is said to have encouraged the drafting of Menander histories. The exact title is not known; also is unknown in how many books the work was divided ( suspected between eight and ten books). The fact that a dignitary and poets grappled with historical circumstances, in late antiquity was not unusual, as the example of Olympiodorus of Thebes, of Priscus or Agathias proves. From Menander's work, however, only fragments in the Suda, get the Excerpta de sententiis and especially in the Excerpta de legationibus have remained; the fragments in the Suda, however, are considered to be less reliable estimate. The (after all, sometimes quite extensive ) fragments from the historical works by Menander are part of great value. So handed Menander the peace treaty, the Emperor Justinian, the overall positive Menander figured I graduated in the year 562 with the Sassanian Khosrow. It cites Menander this contract apparently verbatim. In general, he provides very important information about the Byzantine diplomacy around the year 570

In giving his work to Menander seems to have relied less on personal experience than about the historian Olympiodorus, Priscus and Procopius, who had also to offer many diplomatic details. Rather, Menander left well to the archives. So he followed in the negotiations with Persia the work of Petros Patrikios; perhaps he also took the work of Theophanes of Byzantium, but this is controversial. In other places, "barbarians" are represented by Menander pure after topical patterns and not according to their own knowledge. Overall, Menander is still penned in ancient Greek works very strong in classical tradition. The version of events seems to have the following fragments concentrated on the East, but it is not impossible that was selective in the later selection of Menander's work and he has certainly taken into account also the West. Stylistically, he seems sometimes the content to have given preference to the mold, which is the reproduction of the complete treaty text with Persia.

Menander's work was continued to 630 of Theophylaktos Simokates, the last standing in the classical tradition ancient historian.

Translations

• Roger C. Blockley: The History of Menander the Guardsman. Liverpool 1985 ( with a new count of the fragments).
• Ernst Doblhofer: Byzantine diplomats and eastern barbarians from the Excerpta de legationibus of Constantine Porphyrogenitus selected portions of Priscus and Menander Protector ( Byzantine historian 4). Graz 1955 ( includes only the fragments from the Excerpta de legationibus ).