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A vital role within Byzantine literature is played by epigrams. A considerable number (more than 1000) are still preserved in situ, found on frescoes, mosaics, portable icons, and small objets d´art. In addition, inscriptional epigrams have also been transmitted in manuscripts, where they are used as margins of miniatures or as figure poems. This first volume of the series Byzantinische Epigramme in inschriftlicher Überlieferung is devoted to epigrams on frescoes and mosaics. More than 250 epigrams on frescoes and almost 20 epigrams on mosaics have been preserved from the period between 600 and 1500 CE. In a detailed introduction, questions concerning the definition, the history, and the form of Byzantine epigrams are discussed; in addition, attention is given to the specific characteristics of epigrams on frescoes and mosaics. The main part of the book consists of a critical edition of all the epigrams under consideration, their German translation, as well as a commentary focusing on philological, linguistic and historical matters. At the end of the volume a number of indices are provided, including an index of the epigram beginnings, of Greek words, of biblical, ancient and Byzantine references, as well as a general index. In addition, tables are included that present photographs of almost all the epigrams discussed.
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