Cyrillian Anthology by Cyrillian Anthology Anonymous

The Cyrillian Anthology is a Byzantine gnomic anthology or florilegium, comprising 278 short poetic passages excerpted from earlier Greek authors. Transmitted pseudonymously under the name of Cyrillus, it is a thematic collection of maxims and verses addressing ethical and practical life, serving as a handbook for moral and rhetorical education. The anthology organises its excerpts by theme, including ethical instruction on aretē and vice, practical wisdom concerning daily life, friendship, and speech, reflections on tychē, human nature, and divinity, and attitudes toward wealth and poverty. The work survives in numerous Byzantine manuscripts, attesting to its medieval utility. The standard modern edition is found in the Corpus of Greek Paroemiographers edited by E. von Leutsch and F.G. Schneidewin. As a representative Byzantine gnomology, the anthology played a key role in preserving and transmitting classical poetic thought. Its wide manuscript dissemination and inclusion in scholarly corpora highlight its importance for studying the reception and rearrangement of ancient maxims in later periods.