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Commentaries of Gregory of Nazianzus, Byzantine, 879-883AD
f.409v upper register, Emperor Julian advancing against the Persians at Ktesiphon
Titre : Grégoire de Nazianze, manuscrit dédié à l'empereur Basile Ier le Macédonien.
Date d'édition : 0879-0883
Type : manuscrit
Langue : Grec
Format : Parchemin. - 465 fol. - Onciale. - Peint. - 435 x 300 mm
Description : gregorius thaumaturgus (s.), metaphrasis in ecclesiasten
Miniature au folio 409v. Registre supérieur : Julien l'Apostat arrive devant la ville de Ctésiphon sur le Tigre.
Miniature on folio 409v. Upper register: Julian the Apostate arrives in front of the town of Ctesiphon on the Tigris.
Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Grec 510
Folio 409v illustrates Gregory's second 'Invective against Julian'. The first register shows the emperor advancing against the Persians at Ktesiphon, the second portrays St Basil addressing prayers against Julian, and the third depicts St Merkourios slaying him.
At the top Julian, in ornate gold military attire and astride a pale blue horse, leads his cavalry toward a bridge spanning a deep blue river. A walled city faces the troops across the river, and before it stand the defending Persians. The inscription tells us that 'Julian arrives in Persia' (ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟC ΑΠΕΡΧΟΜΕΝΟC ΕΝ ΠΕ[ΡCΙΔΙ]), and the image illustrates Gregory's text: Now, having advanced in this way with the army and passed along the river's bank, with the ships on the river transporting corn and carrying baggage, he approached Ktesiphon after no small difficulty; so great was his longing for this city that even to be near it he considered as already a part of the victory … Ktesiphon is a strong fortress and hard to conquer, fortified with a wall of burnt brick and by a deep ditch and by lagoons coming from the river …
Source: p. 232, Vision and Meaning in Ninth-Century Byzantium by Leslie Brubaker
"Late Sassanid Levy Infantryman" in Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066 by Ian Heath, is based on "Emperor Julian advancing against the Persians at Ktesiphon, f.409v, 'Commentaries of Gregory of Nazianzus', Byzantine, 879-883AD, BnF Grec 510"