Mirela Ivanova

The Mutilation of Byzantine Emperors Justinian II and Philippicus, Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, c.1413-15. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Mirela Ivanova

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That the Byzantine Empire was decadent and effeminate. I wish.’

A 17th-century manuscript of the Gospels in Cyrillic. National Library of Poland. Public Domain.

Inventing Cyrillic

The Cyrillic alphabet is celebrated across the Slavonic-speaking world, but not only as an appreciation of literacy – it has a political dimension too.