Rhetoric, Education and Local Identity in 11th-13th Centuries’ Byzantium

• Main Author: Khvalkov, Ye.
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Кримський філіал Інституту археології НАН України 2012
• Series: Херсонесский сборник
• Online Access: http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/173038

In the twelfth century, rhetoric was one of the dominant elements of the Byzantine intellectual culture, and rhetorical education was an important lift for social mobility. The flourishing of rhetoric was associated with the social rise of the urban middle class, and that part of the Byzantine nobility, who was not connected with the imperial family. Rhetorical skills ensured promotion and protection on the service in the government and the church. Education was a privilege available only to the wealthy segments of society and provided the opportunity for career growth. Books have been relatively scarce and were mostly in private hands. The creation of the patriarchal schools in Constantinople made education accessible to a wider public. This period was characterized by the appointment to bishoprics not monks, but rather the clergy of the capital, who received the rhetorical training. The pupils of the capital’s schools formed a relatively close circle of intellectuals connected to each other in a personal network. The growth of significance of the episcopal authority in the province was followed by the spread of classical education in the province. Combined with the revival of interest towards the history of ancient Greek polis, this process seems to have contributed to the development of the local urban identity.