ABSTRACT
The attitude of Georgians towards Byzantium in the Middle Ages is a subject which has received scant scholarly attention,1 although Georgian sources contain a wealth of information regarding the study of the contemporary perceptions of Byzantium. The information for the eleventh and twelfth centuries is better than for any other period in the history of Georgian-Byzantine relations. The bulk of the information is derived from Georgian literary sources: hagiographies, chronicles, typika, charters, ecclesiastical acts, and panegyrics. Inscriptions, coins and wall paintings also fill gaps in our information and can add many valuable illustrations to it. The Georgian sources of the eleventh and twelfth centuries provide a vivid image of contemporary Byzantium and Byzantines. This image is constructed on comparative characteristics of the Byzantines and Georgians, as well as parallels from the Bible and Greek mythology. Though not always unbiased, the image illuminates the basic attitudes of Georgians towards Byzantines, who were the object of admiration as well as of criticism. However, it is important to distinguish between the ideal image of Byzantium as model of power and Orthodoxy, and that produced through direct dealings with the empire.
