Byzantine Period pictorial Oktateukh manuscript: Seraglio (Topkapi Palace G.i. 8)

The subject of this thesis is "Byzantine Period Pictorial Oktateukh Manuscript: Seraglio (Topkapı Palace G.I.8)". The manuscript of Seraglio is elected as the subject of the thesis because of its significance as the only pictorial Octateuch manuscript that survived from the Byzantines period, in Turkey.Topkapı Palace G.I.8, dated to the 12th century; is a three-volume manuscript of 569 folio with 301 picture, containing the Old Testament text written in Greek manuscule. A catalog covering all the pictures of the manuscripts was prepared, the relevant subjects were translated to Turkish, from Greek, picture-text relation is examined, the pictures were evaluated in terms of iconographic and style and compared with different period handwritten manuscripts. When the pictures of the handwriting are examined in detail, it is seen that there are many different images made in different styles. Whenever considering similarity between pictures, It was found that there were 8 style groups from A to H, and some of the pictures were repaired. In order to understand the development process of his paintings which change from the beginning to the end of manuscript, and to determine the period of repairs, different period manuscripts were examined.The pictures of Topkapı Palace G.I.8 manuscript are comparedwiththe pictures of Sina Gr. 1186 (11. yy.), plut., 9.28 (11. yy.), Vatikan Gr. 747 (11. yy.), Vatikan Gr. 746 (12. yy.), İzmir A. 1 (12. yy.), Vat. Gr. 1162 (12. yy.), Oxford Bodleian Gr. Th. F1 (14. yy.) Codex Gr.5 (14. yy.) and others.+ As a result of comparisons,it is suggested that the paintings of the Topkapi Palace G.İ.8 manuscript are similar to the stereotyped iconographic programs seen in the manuscripts of the 11th and 12th centuries and its some pictures was repaired adhering to the original, during the Palaeologos period in the 14th century. Key words: Byzantine, Octateuch, Middle Byzantine Period, Painted Manuscripts, 12th century.