ABSTRACT
The preface is not long but it contains several puzzles which are teased out here. The examination of these few pages not only is a study of what Niketas thought he was doing when he wrote his history, but it also gives a good indication of what to expect in the body of the work. Some comparison with Anna Komnene is made, and it is suggested that Niketas had her work in mind when he wrote his own. The Byzantines started to distinguish themselves from the Latins by emphasizing their classical heritage. They had Christianity in common with those who had destroyed their city, so they chose to focus on aspects of their identity that they did not share. One of these was classical culture or Hellenism.
