Jewish Sources

This chapter provides a brief introduction of the Byzantine Jewish community. It presents the different types of writing that originated from the period and which are still being used today. The focus of the discussion is on Byzantine or ‘Romaniote’ Jews and their works, although the sources written by foreign Jews are also considered.

Syriac Historiographical Sources

This chapter discusses Syriac historiographical sources and three authors of historiographical works in Syriac. The first author discussed in the chapter is Michael the Elder, who is known to western scholars as Michael the Syrian, and is the author of the comprehensive Chronicle. The mystery author of the Chronicle to the Year 1234 is also discussed, followed by John Gregory Barebroyo. Barebroyo is the author of two historiographical works in Syriac, and is famous for his works covering nearly all the scholarly knowledge of the period.

Armenian Sources

This chapter discusses Armenian sources, which can be divided into two categories: historical compositions and other sources, such as prosopographical data. Each category of Armenian sources is discussed and examined in detail. The chapter determines that Armenian sources appear manageable in the context of prosopography. Aside from providing records of the history of Armenia, these sources can supply useful and sometimes unique information about eleventh-century Byzantine history.

The South Italian Sources

This chapter discusses the extant sources that are relevant to Byzantine prosopography. The sections in the chapter are divided according to the various political entities. The first section is on the Byzantine provinces, followed by the former territories of Byzantine between 1071 and 1204, the Lombard principalities, and the Duchies of Naples, Amalfi, and Gaeta and southern Latium.

Crusader Sources from the Near East (1099–1204)

This chapter discusses the Crusader sources from the near East that originated between 1099 and 1204. There are no letter collections from the Latin east that were written during the twelfth century, but there are several letters from the east that contain invaluable contemporary evidence for relations between the crusaders and Alexios Komnenos. Aside from examining letters, the chapter studies the literary works that were composed by the Latins in the east, as well as the literary works written in the thirteenth century which relate to the events from before the Fourth Crusade.

Pilgrims and Crusaders in Western Latin Sources

This chapter discusses pilgrims and crusaders in western Latin sources. It starts with a look at the pilgrimages and crusades made to the East, followed by past attempts to list the individuals who had gone on pilgrimages and crusades between 650 and 1291. Western sources, which are categorized as either library sources or archival material, are examined as well. The chapter concludes with a discussion on how to research individuals who were pilgrims and crusaders during this period.

Arabic Sources for Sicily

This chapter discusses briefly the history of Sicily from 1025 to 1204. It concentrates mostly on the less-well-known and more complicated periods, specifically the last few years of Islamic Sicily and the passage from Norman rule to the reign of Emperor Frederick II. The politically uncomplicated reign of the Norman kings is mentioned in passing. The chapter also discusses the fate of the Muslims of Sicily under Christian rule, along with the unique mass of Arabic sources from Norman Sicily.

Latin Sources and Byzantine Prosopography: Genoa, Venice, Pisa and Barcelona

This chapter discusses Byzantine prosopography and several Latin sources that come from the archives of Genoa, Pisa, Venice, and Barcelona. It attempts to show in what respects Byzantine prosopography for the twelfth century can be enriched thanks to deeds, which are able to provide information on ambassadors and merchants. Deeds can also show the Latins who settled either permanently or temporarily in Constantinople, or in the provincial cities of the Empire. The information gathered from each archive is discussed separately.

Sources in Arabic

This chapter provides an overview of sources in Arabic. It studies medieval Arabic narrative sources that deal with the period 1025–1204, and presents a survey of medieval Islamic prosopographical material, which includes autobiographical and biographical literature. An analysis of the present state of research on Islamic prosopography is also included. Certain ancillary sources, i.e. inscriptions, are mentioned here. Ancillary sources are considered to be useful prosopographical tools.

Georgian Sources

This chapter discusses Georgian sources, beginning with a section on contemporary narrative historical sources. Comments on their utility for prosopographical data are provided and described, followed by a synopsis of other relevant contemporary Georgian-language sources. The chapter ends with a discussion of the current state of historical scholarship in Georgian and comments on the scholarly researches that would be of primary interest to prosopographers.