Yeni Babil'in Yanışı: Konstantin Stilbes'in Carmen de Incendio adlı şiirinin çevirisi ve yorumu

The Medieval city of Constantinople was ravaged by severe fires many times in its history, including one which broke out on the Golden Horn on July 25th, 1197. This fire is known from a single source, a contemporary poem written by the Byzantine clergyman Constantine Stilbes. The ?Carmen de Incendio,? describes the destruction wrought by the fire in language rich with metaphors and allusions drawn from Biblical and Classical sources. Stilbes' poem is an important historical document, not just for the study of the fire itself, but also for the study of the urban topography of medieval Constantinople, the evolution of the Greek language in the Middle Ages, and the literary education of the late 12th century Constantinopolitan elite. The poem has never been the subject of extensive study, however, and a Greek edition was only published in 2005.This thesis will present the first major study of the text in context, including a comprehensive introduction, English translation, and commentary. The poem will be sited in its literary and historical context, and its significance underscored. A systematic analysis of the poem's vocabulary and metrical attributes will demonstrate the poem's linguistic innovations and conservatism. Relying on information given in the poem, this thesis will reconstruct the course of the fire using digital fire-path mapping software, with reference to comparable fires in the Byzantine and Ottoman eras. Then, the poem will be presented in English translation, followed by a comprehensive annotation explaining the poet's densely woven literary allusions.