Ближний Восток и его соседи

g 116 h Dimitrios G. Letsios documented in these hagiographical narrations and the creation of “a new and somewhat imaginary frontier”; these elements are properly highlighted in the introduction of Caner’s edition. 4 Pseudo-Nilus ’ narrations 5 and Ammonius ’ report 6 bear information ranging to pre-Islamic times; of course, information included in literature of edification cannot be granted historic value without scrutiny; nonetheless, all these narratives reflect many interesting aspects of history in the region and contribute to illuminate different subjects, at first place the general trends and the evolution of the Arab-Roman relations. This is the background which determined the developments and the situation which colors the period of the sources examined in the project “Byzantine Literary sources on Arab history”. The Narration of Nilus of Ancyra , traditionally dated to the sixth century, is a composition close to the tradition of ancient romance. The debate over its authorship and date remains open. The dossier seems to have been composed locally and refers to invasions of the monastic communities by nomadic Saracens. Concerning its value, it is assumed that despite the personal narrative form adopted by the author, the “narrator has a limited perspective on events”. 7 Ammonius ’ report, introduces in the story a personal account by an anonymous monk, who recounts events that took place in Raithou at an earlier time, the end of the 4th century. The slaughter of the monks of Sinai and Raithou in raids by Saracens and Blemmyes is the main subject of the narration; it is however considered of lower value, compared to the previous (Narration of Nilus), due to its affinity with the romance tradition. Some ethnographic information is interwoven with hagiographic elements and beneficial tales. Both texts present a common element: in both the narrator “witnesses the martyrdom of others” 8 . Mount Sinai with its biblical association has not only inspired ecclesiastical authors/hagiographers; it also fascinated other late antique authors, such as Procopius of Caesarea who recorded a characteristic description of the region. 9 4 D. F. Caner. History and Hagiography from the Late Antique Sinai . 1–69. 5 English translation with comments and additional literature: Ibid., 73–140. 6 English translation with comments and additional literature: Ibid., 141–171. Important the remark: “There are good reasons to be skeptical that the narrative represents either an early docu- ment or one based on actual experience”, Ibid., 145. Concerning the last two sources, the relevant literature cited properly highlights the problems involved in their interpretation. In addition, as Caner underlines: “Both texts undoubtedly offer useful historical data, but those who read them for that purpose must proceed with caution: much of the misinformation found in popular accounts of Sinai history derives from uncritical readings of these narratives”. Ibid., 52. 7 Ch. Messis, Fiction and/or Novelisation in Byzantine Hagiography, in: The Ashgate Research Companion to Byzantine Hagiography , ed. St. Efthymiadis, vol. II, 313–341, here, 323. 8 Ibid., 325. 9 Buildings V.viii.1, 8.