Rhodians In The Middle Ages.

The character of the inhabitants of Rhodes may be reconstructed from archaeological finds, literary sources and the iconography. The last is the only vehicle that, even though it follows established stereotypes in its 5 descriptions of hairstyles, dress, posture and gestures, provides a rough impression of the average Rhodian. Surviving depictions of locals are fairly limited in number and mainly date from Late Byzantine and Hospitaller times. Most of them are portraits of eminent donors and founders of churches, who belonged to the upper classes: local notables depicted on formal occasions, burghers, knights, monks and nuns. Hagiological scenes, moreover, capture dress trends and fashions of the times, and moments of everyday life, in which the common people appear, with sol­diers and labourers at work.

The miniatures in the Caoursin manuscript, which refers to the siege of Rhodes by the Ottoman Turks in 1480, record everyday scenes and people in the 15th century, and provide evidence for the life of the Order and the inhabitants of the town. The carved tomb slabs that have been discovered complement these miniatures, since they mostly belong to distin­guished Latins who spent some of their life on the island.

The Thanatikon tis Rodou, a poem written by Em­manuel Limenitis in 1499, is possibly the only literary source to describe ordinary Rhodians, placing em­phasis on women's appearance and dress. Archaeo­logical excavations have brought to light a great deal of evidence relating to costume from Byzantine down to Hospitaller times, which reveals the taste and social and economic standing of Rhodians: brooches, buttons, earrings, finger-rings, pins and crosses, made of cheap or precious materials such as iron, bronze, silver and gold, bone and steatite.

The clay plates and bowls on display come from the area of Venice and were found in the town of Rhodes. They depict male and female busts and reflect local preferences in dress and taste.

Ex. 1. Answer the questions:

1. How may the character of the inhabitants of Rhodes be reconstructed?

2. Who belonged to the upper classes?

3. What happened in 1480?

4. When did Em­manuel Limenitis write a poem?

5. What do clay plates and bowls depict?

Ex. 2. Remember the following words and word combinations:

literary sources; posture and gestures; locals; formal occasions; manuscript; precious materials; the clay plates and bowls; on display.

3. Make-up sentences using the following words. The first word is underlined.

1. finds, be, reconstructed, archaeological, from, It, may.

2. Most, them, portraits, donors, eminent, of, of, are.

3. refers, the Ottoman Turks, siege, of, by, 1480, in, It, the, to.

4. The Thanatikon tis Rodou, poem, a, is.

5. from, Venice, plates, come, clay, The.

Дата добавления: 2015-12-01