The Byzantine Concept of “Syria” as Arab Empire and its Ancient Roots

Bibliographic Data

ID9069899
AuthorsPredrag Komatina (0000-0003-2469-2278, Institute for Regional Studies, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume79
Issue1
Pages41-50
Publication date2020-04-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Near Eastern Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-2968 • E-ISSN: 1545-6978
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/707615
OpenAlexW3013082743
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited9

Through the millennia of its history, the name “Syria” has acquired multiple meanings and has been used for a variety of concepts depending on historical context and circumstances. But the way in which the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus used it in the mid-10th century AD is perhaps the most interesting and remarkable one. At that time, the so-called “Fertile Crescent” was ruled by Muslim Arabs, who deprived the Persians of Mesopotamia and the Byzantines of the Levant during the first decade following the Prophet’s death (AD 632–642). Ending the centuries-long Roman rule in the Levant made the Arabs fierce enemies of the Byzantines, and constant clashes between the two powers were to dominate Eastern Mediterranean politics for centuries to come. After initial setbacks in the Levant, the Byzantines consolidated their lines and succeeded in keeping the Arabs out of Asia Minor, the heartland of the Empire. However, an Arab inroad into that region in 838, resulting in a great Muslim victory at the battle of Amorium, was devastating to Byzantium. With their revenge at the battle of Poson in 863, however, the Byzantines slowly began to gain the upper hand on their eastern frontier. The first half of the 10th century marked the beginning of a firm Byzantine military presence in the region, which was to result in the partial reconquest of the Levant with the capture of Antioch in 969 and even an expedition into Palestine in 975

Ancient history · Byzantine architecture · Byzantine studies · Empire · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History

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