Pages: 217-223

One can distinguish three layers in the text of the “Slavic” chapter of the Strategikon (Mauricius XI.4): (1) very specific big passages which could be seen as citations from some text (Sclav-1) about customs of the Slavs and about how to plunder them, (2) passages written by some redactor with many words borrowed from the “Persian” and/or “Scythian” and/or even “Germanic” chapters of the same book (Mauricius XI.1—3) with the same order of main items, (3) some specific word groups or small passages written by the same redactor (Sclav-2), who borrowed words from the first three chapters. The Sclav-2 worked before the next redactor (Abar), who added to the text of 11th book passages on Avars and connected themes, but after the extension of the original text of chapters 1—3 (Pers/Scyth/Xanth) by the redactor Harm/Mach, who preferred to use words μάχη and ἁρμόζειν. Sclav-2 was not familiar with Theophylaktos Simokatta’s chapters dealing with the wars with the Slavs. These three text layers show us three somewhat different images of the Slavs.

Keywords: Slavs, Pseudo-Maurice's Strategikon, textology, strategy and tactics, enemy image.

Information about author:

Petr Shuvalov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Saint Petersburg State University. 7-9, Universitetskaya nab., Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]