Theodosius the Deacon

Byzantine poet

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July 14, 2026

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Theodosius the Deacon was a Byzantine poet known for his work in the 10th century. He wrote an epic poem about the recapture of Crete from the Arabs. This poem was composed in iambic trimeters, a 12-syllable line that became a common meter for narrative poetry in the middle and later Byzantine periods. This meter was used for various genres, including narrative, epigrams, romances, satire, and moral and religious edification.1

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Greek literature
Nonliturgical poetry
His example was followed by Theodosius the Deacon in his epic on the recapture of Crete from the Arabs in the 10th century. This 12-syllable line became the all-purpose metre in the middle and later Byzantine periods and was the vehicle for narrative, epigram, romance, satire, and moral and religious…
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His example was followed by Theodosius the Deacon in his epic on the recapture of Crete from the Arabs in the 10th century. This 12-syllable line became the all-purpose metre in the middle and later Byzantine periods and was the vehicle for narrative, epigram, romance, satire, and moral and religious…
Read More

Nicephorus II Phocas
Early life.
…exploit, sung by the poet Theodosius the Deacon, realized the Byzantine dream (after dozens had failed to liberate Crete) of imperial mastery of the eastern Mediterranean. Later, as emperor, Nicephorus could state proudly that he controlled the seas. By that time, however, he had recovered Cilicia and the island of…
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…exploit, sung by the poet Theodosius the Deacon, realized the Byzantine dream (after dozens had failed to liberate Crete) of imperial mastery of the eastern Mediterranean. Later, as emperor, Nicephorus could state proudly that he controlled the seas. By that time, however, he had recovered Cilicia and the island of…
Read More