— Ch. 1 · Byzantine Origins And Lineage —
John Tzetzes.
~2 min read · Ch. 1 of 5
John Tzetzes lived in Constantinople from roughly 1110 until his death in 1180. He described himself as pure Greek on his father's side and part Iberian or Georgian on his mother's side. His grandmother was a relative of the Bagratid princess Maria of Alania who arrived in Constantinople with her family. This princess later became the second wife of Constantine Keroularios, a megas droungarios and nephew of patriarch Michael Keroularios. These connections placed him within the complex web of Byzantine aristocracy during the twelfth century.
Career As A Grammarian
Tzetzes worked briefly as a secretary to a provincial governor before earning a living through teaching and writing. He was known for being vain and resentful of any rivalry that threatened his status. Historical accounts describe how he violently attacked fellow grammarians who challenged his authority. Because written material was scarce during his time, he had to rely heavily on his memory when composing texts. Scholars must exercise caution when reading his work due to this reliance on recollection rather than physical sources. Despite these flaws, he made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature.The Book Of Histories
His most important work is the Book of Histories, also called Chiliades or thousands. This long poem contains 12,674 lines of political verse divided into 660 topics. The first editor N. Gerbel arbitrarily divided it into books each containing one thousand lines in 1546. The text serves as poetic footnotes to letters Tzetzes addressed to John Lachanas, an official in Constantinople. It preserves fragments of more than two hundred ancient authors including many whose works have been lost forever. A revised edition with marginal notes appeared later edited by T. Kiessling in 1826.Homeric Allegorical Interpretations
Tzetzes wrote didactic poems explaining Homeric theology through three specific types of allegory: euhemeristic, anagogic, and physical. These works were dedicated initially to the German-born empress Irene and then to Constantine Cotertzes. The first poem covers events from the Iliad while the second addresses the Odyssey. He supplemented Homer's original narrative by beginning with the birth of Paris and continuing until the Achaeans returned home. Modern translations by Adam J. Goldwyn and Dimitra Kokkini brought these texts to English readers in 2015 and 2019 respectively.