Nicholas Kallikles’ epitaph for the sebastos Roger: the success of a Norman chief at the court of Alexios I Komnenos

At the beginning of the twelfth century, Nicholas Kallikles composed an epitaph in dodecasyllables for the sebastos Roger, a Norman commander who deserted to Byzantium and was the founder of a successful Byzantine lineage. Not only does this text inform us about the origins of a prominent yet poorly known aristocratic family, but it also sheds light on the process of social and cultural integration of foreign elites into the Komnenian aristocracy. The paper provides an English translation of Kallikles’ text, along with an extensive prosopographical, historical and literary commentary.