Судан и Большой Ближний Восток

307 Vassilios Christides. The Cycle of the Arab-Byzantine Struggle in Crete... illuminations which render in pictures “The Conquest and Occupation of Crete by the Andalusian Arabs (ca 824/6 — 961)”, starting with the conquest of this almost impregnable island and culminating in its re-conquest by Nicephorus Phocas (961 AD). The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the most important illuminations of the above cycle in an effort to examine the way the artists of Skylitzes’ manuscript presented the Arabs on the one hand, and on the other the artists’ awareness of the historical scenes described. Limited references to other illuminations of the manuscript will be presented when it is needed and certain general remarks concerning the mannerism of the painters of the manuscript will be added; of course, any further investigation of the latter topics lies beyond the scope and the expertise of the present author. Keywords. Kraterus; Ibn al-Dāya; Abū Ḥ af ṣ ; Skylitzes; Nicephorus Phocas; Theophanes Continuatus; Cretan Arabs; Andalusian Arabs; Aegean Sea; Emirate of Crete; Handax. W hile discussing the illuminations of Skylitzes’ manuscript that render the conquest and occupation of Crete by the Andalusian Arabs, it should be noted that there are not any systematic works concerning the appearance of the Muslim Arabs either in the manuscript of Skylitzes or in any other Byzantine source. Concerning the pre-Islamic Arabs, the present author has written a short article concentrating on the appearance of the pre-Islamic Arabs in the 10 th century Menologium of Basil II , 1 illustrated by a team of miniaturists. 2 Some of the conclusions of that article relevant to certain similar aspects of the present work are useful to be repeated. 3 1 Inmy preliminary work, “From the Cycle ‘The Conquest and Occupa- tion of Crete by the Arabs’ in Skyltizes’ Illuminations: A Naval Battle and the Execution of General Crateros”, in Studia SemiticaNecnon Iranica , Wiesbaden 1989, 54–64, I briefly discussed certain illuminations concerning naval battles. 2 V. Christides, «Pre-Islamic Arabs in Byzantine Illuminations», Le Muséon 83 (1970), 167–181. 3 See Fratelli Bocca, Il Menologio di Basilio II (Codicese Vaticani Selecti, VIII), Turin1907; for the illustrated text, see I. Sevčenko, “The Illuminators of the Menologiumof Basil II”, DOP 16 (1962), 245–276. N. Oikonomides, “Ηστολή του επάρχου και ο Σκυλίτζης της Μαδρίτης”, in Ευφρόσυνον. Αφιέρωμα στο