Unlike the characters in Quentin Tarantino’s postmodern western The Hateful Eight, the eight virtually exhibited manuscripts are by no means «hateful». Yet, like them, they conceal secrets and mysteries of a past that remains, in many respects, to be discovered. They can be classified and explored according to different criteria, following multiple pathways that allow viewers to appreciate, at each stage, new aspects of these works.

Firstly, they provide a revealing spectrum of the various configurations of text and commentary in literary works in verse. In terms of content, the codices transmit foundational poetic texts of ancient Greek literature, from its origins to the Hellenistic period: three exemplars of the Iliad, and five that convey predominantly Hellenistic poetry. The folios on display, in particular, pertain to the Hymns of Callimachus and the Idylls of Theocritus. Moreover, the ‘material vectors’ encompass a chronological span from the early sixth century CE to the height of the humanistic era, and are distributed across different geographical areas of the Byzantine ecumene, from the central regions to the periphery.

Thus, these manuscripts simultaneously exemplify centuries of the history of ancient Greek literature, key periods in the transmission of classical texts and Byzantine culture, and various modes of approach to reading, teaching, and knowledge. Given this peculiarity, as noted, visitors may choose from multiple pathways: the diachrony of ancient texts, the diachrony of the manuscripts themselves, the type of layout, or the geographical area of production.

Below is a brief presentation of the exhibited materials, divided into two groups according to content: Homeric materials on the one hand (2.1), and Hellenistic poetry on the other (see 2.2; 2.3). The description roughly follows the chronological order of the period of production of each artifact. For more detailed information on individual artifacts and the displayed folios, see the corresponding catalog entries.