Mare e laguna nelle fonti bizantine relative a Venezia e ai Veneziani

The Northern Adriatic lagoon environment and the settlements it encompassed in the Middle Ages, including Venice, presents some remarkable features that the Byzantine sources do not fail to acknowledge. The first part of this chapter examines the constellation of terms applied to the lagoon and to specific aspects of its landscape (beaches, salt marshes, islands, inlets, canals, etc.). It considers how these terms are used in Byzantine sources to portray the lagoon and its relationship with the city of Venice (and other settlements such as Malamocco and Torcello). The second part of this chapter studies the relation between these descriptions of (or hints at) the lagoon and different stages in Byzantine and Venetian history that stimulated the interest of Byzantine authors in Venice. It also explores how the development of the relationship between Byzantium and Venice influenced the perception of the lagoon. The author investigates texts covering a broad time span, from Procopius to Laonikos Chalkokondyles, with a special focus on middle Byzantine literature.