The Joshua roll

The Joshua Roll (Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Pal. gr. 431), a tenth-century illuminated scroll of the first half of the Old Testament book of Joshua, is among the finest examples of Byzantine book illumination. Each of the fifteen parchment sheets combines pictures above excerpts from the Septuagint; and although overlooked in the past, the texts accompanying the pictures along with other primary sources explain the miniatures and place the artwork in its historical context. A critical edition of the Ancient Greek along with English translation shows how elegantly and accurately the artist illustrated the epic story of Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land. Details of iconography and style suggest that the Joshua Roll is the copy of a cartoon for a triumphal column, originally produced for the Emperor Heraclius (610-641) and which was likely recopied after 958 for the purpose of honoring the exploits of Basil “the Bastard”, chamberlain or chief minister of four emperors, Constantine VII, Nicephorus Phocas, John Tzimisces, and the young Basil II. Because of its importance as a document of Byzantine history, as an early witness to the text of the Old Testament, and as one of the world’s greatest artworks, this critical edition of the manuscript should appeal to a broad audience of Byzantinists, art historians, classicists, biblical and literary scholars. The book could have popular appeal with anyone interested in how written texts are illustrated.