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Depiction of Greek fire in the Madrid Skylitzes

Meeting between Emperor John Tzimiskes and Sviatoslav I of Kiev in the Madrid Skylitzes

The Madrid Skylitzes is a heavily illustrated illuminated manuscript of the Synopsis of Histories (Σύνοψις Ἱστοριῶν), by John Skylitzes, which covers the reigns of the Byzantine emperors from the death of Nicephorus I in 811 to the deposition of Michael IV in 1057. The manuscript was produced in Sicily in the 12th century, and is now at the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid, so is known as the Madrid Skylitzes, Codex Græcus Matritensis Ioannis Skyllitzes, or Skyllitzes Matritensis. It is the only surviving illustrated manuscript of a Greek chronicle, and includes 574 miniatures. It is unclear whether they are copies of Byzantine images or new to the copy.

Bibliography

• Color facsimile edition by Militos (Μίλητος) Publishers, ISBN 960-8460-16-6.
• Vasiliki Tsamakda, The Illustrated Chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes, Leiden 2002.
• Bente Bjørnholt and J. Burke, eds. "The Cultures and Contexts of the Madrid Skylitzes" International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, 13 July 2004 (pub. 2005).

See also

• Images from the Madrid Skylitzes

External links

• Notes by Paul Stephenson
• Biography of Basil II with notes on Scylitzes by Catherine Holmes
• Images from Madrid Skylitzes