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Anna Dokeianina Syrakousina: Difference between revisions

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== Projects & Publications ==
== Projects & Publications ==


*''Compleat Anachronist'' 177: "The Will and Testament of Kale Pakouriane: An 11th Century Byzantine Noblewoman's Closet", October 2017.
*The book, ''Of Summer and Winter'', and it's upcoming sequel, ''The Overcast of Autumn'', is one possible account of Anna's life. The book can be purchased at many retailers, including Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Of-Summer-Winter-Angela-Costello/dp/1480083968/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1350305786&sr=1-1 or her website at http://ofsummerandwinter.com
*The book, ''Of Summer and Winter'', and it's upcoming sequel, ''The Overcast of Autumn'', is one possible account of Anna's life. The book can be purchased at many retailers, including Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Of-Summer-Winter-Angela-Costello/dp/1480083968/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1350305786&sr=1-1 or her website at http://ofsummerandwinter.com



Revision as of 16:24, 27 September 2017

Photo
File:Propoloma.jpg
Anna and her hat which she uses to sail between Constantinople and England.
Information
Resides: Barony of Calafia, Caid.
Status: Anachronistic and Impulsive
Awards: Order of Precedence
Heraldry
ADS-device.png
Argent, A dolphin naiant sable, a bordure gules. Badge: Fieldless, a dolphin naiant sable.
Award & Office Badges
Companion of the Order of the MauncheCompanion of the Order of the Burdened TygerQueen's Order of CourtesyFencing Marshal Court Baroness, Grant of Arms, Award of Arms, Lotus (A&S in Bridge), Pillar of the Bridge, Order of the Lodestone (Smoking Rocks), Seamstress to the Crown (Kenric and Avelina I AND II.), Seamstress to the Crown (Omega V and Etheldreda IV)

Introduction

Hypatissa (Baroness) Anna Dokeianina Syrakousina came to the Barony of the Bridge by ways of Trimaris in 2002, where she had been playing on and off for a few years during high school and college. She is garb diva, apprentice to Clothilde von der Insel, Man-At-Arms to Lord Tristan le Sauvage, a warranted marshal of fence and a pretty good brewer, too. She is painfully obsessed with all things Roman and Eastern Roman (Byzantine) and enjoys blabbing about her recent projects and teaching classes. She moved to the Barony of Stonemarche in February 2014. She is married to Lord Gieffrei de Toesni.

As of June 2016, she resides in the Barony of Calafia, Kingdom of Caid, having moved there to be with Gieffrei at his Naval posting.

She is a member of Freehold of the Riverkeep, Clan SITH, Atelier du Champagne, and The Smoking Bridge Guild of Libation Brewers.

Anna replaced her missing cousin, Anna Dauzzano da Siracusa at court during Bridge Birthday 2012.

Research and Development Department

Anna's primary area of study is the late 11th Century of the Byzantine Empire, during the reign of Alexius I and the First Crusade. She has developed her own patterns for Byzantine clothing based on historical finds, which are available on her website, annasrome.com, which has pages dedicated to both Ancient Roman and Byzantine garb. She is also interested in Byzantine-Norman relations (which were not good) through the 11th Century, especially the transference of fashion between the two cultures and the absorption of Saracen styles as well which is seen in extant Norman-Sicilian finds.

Her current undertaking is recreating an inventory of objects belonging to an 11th Century patrikia (noblewoman) from the Last Will and Testament of Kale Pakouriane, an actual extant document from her period.

In addition to clothing, Anna also dabbles in iconography, using period mediums such as gold leaf and egg tempera from natural pigments. It's daunting, but she enjoys it and hopes to continue to improve and expand her skills in this art form.

File:Mary icon.jpg <- 2nd Icon ever. Made for Isabeau du Valle for the East Kingdom Artisanal Exchange. Gabrielicon.jpg <-6th Icon ever. Made for HL Konstantia Kaloethina of Calontir for the award of Herald Extraordinary.

She also has done extensive research on the Varangian Guard's service to the Byzantine Empire from their inception during the reign of Basil II in the late 10th Century through the 4th Crusade when Constantinople fell to the Franks and Venetians in 1204.

A project is in process to submit new Byzantine titles to the College of Heralds. Anna is a member of the research team alongside Konstantia Kaloethina from Calontir (Gold Falcon Herald), and Ioannes Dalassenos from Ansteorra. Progress can be seen here: http://annasrome.com/alternate-titles-project/

As a brewer, Anna has successfully made some Roman wines based on a modern day moscato by infusing spices and other aromatics to make period beverages in wine that she fermented herself. Through her brewing research, she's discovered that the Romans used parallels to modern wine kits, and also added sulfates to their wines as preservatives much as we do now.

She's pretty decent with Latin, and would like to someday learn Greek. Other period art forms she would eventually like to check out would be calligraphy and illumination, and lampwork beadmaking.

Visit her blog at http://www.annasrome.com for further insight into her projects, and don't hesitate to email her with any questions at syrakousina@gmail.com.

Classes Taught

A complete list of classes is available at http://annasrome.com/classes-ive-taught/

If you are interested in class materials or having Anna teach at your event, email her at syrakousina@gmail.com.

Persona

Anna is a lady born of a high-ranking Greek family living in Saracen-controlled Sicily around the 11th century. She was married to a lower ranking prince of the Imperial family by proxy and moved to Constantinople in her early teens. She was rapidly caught up into dangerous court intrigue, and after nearly 20 years of grandiose Imperial life, her husband was mysteriously killed while turmoil reigned during a shifting of power in the Purple. Being that her family was of an opposing political view to the Emperor, she was placed under house arrest and is confined to the grounds of the Great Palace Complex overlooking Propontis (The Sea of Marmara).

When not a victim of intrigue, Anna served the empress in the office of Zoste Patrikia, an official of the court that translates to "girded lady patrician." Or basically the head lady in waiting. It was a highly prized office, and one of the few that women held exclusively in Roman bureaucracy. After the death of her husband, she was awarded the honorific title of Hypatissa, or lady consul.

She was married to Lord Gieffrei de Toesni as a capitulation following the devastating loss to the Normans at Dyrrakhion. This accomplished getting her out of the emperor's hair, and appeasing the Normans for a few years.


Alternate Persona: Anna Dauzzano da Siracusa

Anna was born in the mid 16th century to a Spanish mother and Italian father. Anna found herself engrossed in the classics while working in the offices of her uncle's shipping company. After turning down several profitable marriage proposals, her uncle saw in her a better businessperson than noblewoman, and gave her the ship, La Delfina Nera (the Black Dolphin), to sponsor and run as her own corner of his larger conglomerate.

Disagreeing with the tribute demanded by the Spanish crown for them to continue to operate out of Naples, the Dauzzano clan packed up and relocated to Venice, which gave them greater access to the Eastern Mediterranean and the goods coming off of the Silk Road. Anna, along with her brother, Maximo, took La Delfina Nera to the island of Cyprus to be more strategically placed for trade with the Ottoman Empire out of Constantinople. This is a dangerous place to be, as the Ottomans continually press the Venetian merchants and shippers on the island, and threaten invasion.

Anna's ship was taken off the coast of Cyprus one fateful autumn afternoon, and she is now presumed dead. Rumor has it she was sold into the Sultan's harem.

Alternate-Alternate Persona: Numera Faustina Septima

Domina Faustina (Septima, if you know her well enough), was the seventh daughter of a Roman Tribune by the name of Numerus Faustinus, who served for many years in Britannia where he received high honors. Faustina, being of such a Patrician family, was married to an older senator, who she had little interest in except for his money.

Faustina enjoyed a life of pure Roman decadence. Hosting lavish feasts, spending her husband's money on expensive imported goods from the East, and laying about in the baths with the other debutantes and socialites gossiping day in a day out.

Offices & Positions

  • Deputy Seneshal of Trollhaven, 2003-2004
  • Arts and Sciences Champion for the Barony of the Bridge, 2011-2012
  • Baronial Marshal of Rapier for Bridge 2012-2014
  • Queen's Guard - Caoilfhionn - 2014
  • Queen's Arts and Sciences Champion - Marisa (Caid) - 2016-2017
  • Baronial Court and Guard - Guy Rand and Muirren (Calafia, Caid) - 2016-2017

Event Staff

  • Autocrat for Black Rose Ball, 2004
  • Autocrat for Black Rose Ball, again. 2010.
  • Co-Autocrat for the Coronation of Lucan VIII and Jana V, 04/02/2011.
  • Kitchen staff for Ice Weasel, 2012.
  • Co-Autocrat for Bridge Birthday 2012.
  • Artistic type...person for Black Rose Ball 2014.

Projects & Publications

  • Ars Scientia Orientalis Summer 2014: [[1]]
  • And her blog, which chronicles all things Rome and Byzantium. Includes pages on garb for these cultures: http://annasrome.com

More Information

Mundanely, Angela Costello holds an MA in History: Museum Studies from the University of New Hampshire, and a BA in History from the University of Rhode Island. She is currently completing a certification in historic textile and costume collections management through California State University: Long Beach, and works as an archivist and research librarian at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.