Narrative Strategies in the Poetry of George of Pisidia

George of Pisidia (ca. 580 to 630 AD) held the church office of deacon at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and also served as a secular official under Heraclius, who ruled the Byzantine Empire between 610 and 641 AD. In his Greek poetry, George combines traditions from classical antiquity with religious ideas from late antique Christianity. One of the main aims of his literary work is to promote Heraclius political programme and to portray the emperor as an ideal Christian ruler. The project deals with the use of different poetic forms and strategies in order to convince the audience. The poems will be read against the background of literary models of antiquity and their structure and function will be examined. The poems probably were recited orally before an audience that was present at the imperial court. Therefore, the project particularly deals with the question which audience the author was addressing. The aim of the project is to gain a deeper understanding of the forms of Greek poetry at the transition from antiquity to the Middle Ages. Despite the fact that George of Pisidia was active in this important transitional period in history, he has received little attention so far. Thus, the ultimate goal of the project is to promote his literary work within the scientific community as well as within a broader public.