Angel Nicolaou-Konnari and Chris Schabel, eds., Cyprus: Society and Culture 1191-1374.

Angel Nicolaou-Konnari and Chris Schabel, eds., Cyprus. Society and Culture 1191-1374, (Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2005) ISSN 0928-5520. xvi, 408 pp, 32 illus. Hardcover, 78 [euro].

This welcome edition, the 58th volume of Brill's series, The Medieval Mediterranean Peoples, Economies and Cultures, 400-1500, is the result of the editing efforts of two comparatively young, but already well established experts in medieval Mediterranean studies, both of whom are associated with the Department of History and Archeology at the University of Cyprus. The book offers a survey of the social and cultural history of the "classical" period in medieval Cyprus, covering the time span from Richard the Lion-Heart's conquest of the island to the Genoese occupation of 1374.

The volume consists of six chapters, dealing with the Greek (Angel Nicolaou-Konnari, 13-62) and Frankish (Peter W. Edbury, 63-102) communities of Cyprus, the island's economy (Nicholas Coureas, 103-156), religions (Chris Schabel, 157-218), literature (Gilles Grivaud, 219-284), and fine arts, including architecture (Annemarie Weyl Carr, 285-327). The opening two chapters discuss the Greeks, the most numerous of the subordinate ethnic groups, and the ruling Latin aristocratic minority. The four subsequent thematic chapters are mainly concerned with the contribution and interaction of these two social groups, whereas other groupings (Syrian, Armenian, etc.) are treated only sporadically. Nicolaou-Konnari inquires into the impact on the major religious group of social changes, introduced after the Crusader's conquest. Konnari asserts that although the Latin occupation shifted majority of the native population into a subsidiary position in a society based on religious and social inequality, it did not present a sharp discontinuity with the previous period. The wretched position of the bonded Greek peasantry largely remained as it had been before, while free Greek families could still find their way towards social advancement both in ecclesiastical and worldly affairs. The second chapter, dealing with the Frankish ruling class, was written by P. Edbury, author of the standard work on the political history of Latin Cyprus (Cambridge 1991). Frankish society, composed of knights, clerics and townsmen of diverse ethnic backgrounds united by common religion and superior social position, nevertheless constituted a tiny minority of the populace. Their passion for hunting has proved the most enduring legacy of the island. The chapter on economy, written by Nicholas Coureas, acclaimed for his book on The Latin Church in Cyprus (Aldershot, 1997), depicts Cyprus as first and foremost an agricultural land whose production was based on wine, oil and barley. The port of Famagusta profited extensively from its geographical proximity to Muslim Syria and Palestine after the papal embargo of 1292 on direct trade with Muslim lands. Chris Schabel, in the chapter concerned with religion offers an excitingly novel approach portraying the coexistence of Latin and Greek churches as much more peaceful, harmonious and multicultural than it has generally been assumed, particularly in such urban areas as Nicosia and Famagusta, and the position of the subordinate non-Latin clergy as more favorable than elsewhere. The chapter on the intellectual history of medieval Cyprus, a relatively unexplored domain, written by Gilles Grivaud, presents an authoritative survey of the religious, philosophical, legal and poetical traditions of both main communities. In the closing chapter, A. Weyl Carr offers an un-orthodox approach, finding common features in two artistic lines, the Latin and the Orthodox, traditionally seen as separate, and portrays medieval Cyprus as a "coherent social whole". In both traditions a visible dividing line emerges between the 13th and 14th centuries, the earlier period being dominated by Syro-Palestinian conventions, the later one developed by Byzantine and Western (Gothic) influences.

The book is primarily intended for the non-specialist, so it is divested of the usual extensive endnotes, but thanks to the comprehensive bibliography (329-362) and numerous explanatory notes it offers a dependable insight into the actual Forschungsstand as well for experts. This highly recommendable volume makes an excellent starting (and returning) point for those who want to learn more about the best part of Cyprus history, but are unwilling to cope with more bulky and rather outdated works like Mas Latrie (Paris, 1861) or Hill (Cambridge, 1940-1952), or for those who are not familiar with modern Greek sufficient to grasp the more recent related volumes of [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Nicosia, 1995-1996). As such it promises to be a standard reference book in years to come.

Slobodan Ilic

Eastern Mediterranean University