Language of the Strategikon of Maurice

[giansa]

I have already heard about the Strategikon a while ago and know that it was written in Greek. Even though Latin was still the language of army command at that time as it only switched to greek under Heracleus. However I wasn't able to find out wich kind of greek. I know that around the time the book was written, koine greek had already evolved into early medieval greek. But Koine greek was still a primary language in the Byzantine Court and Church surviving as a written liturgical language.
On the other hand, since it was to be studied by army officers, who may couldn't always read Koine, wouldn't have medieval greek made more sense.
If anyone knows wich one was used for the book I would love to know.

 

[Mildtryth]

I have already heard about the Strategikon a while ago and know that it was written in Greek. Even though Latin was still the language of army command at that time as it only switched to greek under Heracleus. However I wasn't able to find out wich kind of greek. I know that around the time the book was written, koine greek had already evolved into early medieval greek. But Koine greek was still a primary language in the Byzantine Court and Church surviving as a written liturgical language.
On the other hand since it was to be understood by army officers who may couldn't always read Koine wouldn't have medieval greek made more sense.
If anyone knows wich one was used for the book I would love to know.

You'd probably need a linguist to tell you that.

 

[snerfuplz]

The fun here is ChatGPT can't agree if it was written in Latin, Medieval Greek, or Koine Greek. It suggested these sources:

1. Maurice, Emperor of the East. The Strategikon: A Treatise on Byzantine Tactics. Translated by George T. Dennis. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1984.
2. Haldon, John F. Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. University College London Press, 1999.
3. Treadgold, Warren. Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. Stanford University Press, 1995.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

The difference between classical, koine and Byzantine Greek is massively overstated.

The pronunciation did change, a lot. Koine was a little simplified over classical, but it was still the same language. Byzantine got more flowery again, especially in rhetoric and poetry, but they're all one language. I think if you'd suggested to a Byzantine scholar that he wasn't speaking the language of ancient Athens, he'd have felt badly insulted.

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When I took classical Greek, with about half the class seminary students, I don't remember the prof pointing out where Koine varied more than a couple of times.

 

[Hearkener]

When I took classical Greek, with about half the class seminary students, I don't remember the prof pointing out where Koine varied more than a couple of times.

Tellingly, at my university they just have one course called "Ancient Greek", which purports of itself to teach everything from Homeric to Medieval Greek in a single class. I don't know any Greek myself, so I can't speak to the veracity of that claim, but it should be noted that especially the literary standard of a language can be remarkably conservative for millennia.

 

[Filo]

The original text in our possession, the codex laurentianos greacus 55.4 of Florence is clearly a medieval byzantine text being written in Xth century.
However the CLG55.4 is very probably a copy of the original text under the patronate of Constantin Porphirogenitus.

Sadly, in italian, at the moment the only translated edition is made by a non specialist, and although not being a bad translation, lacks of the critical linguistic apparate.

My impression is that the original text is probably written in Latin.