In
the 10th century A.D., Byzantium was recovering from Iconomachy and
going through its first cultural renaissance, the so-called 
Macedonian
after the name of the dynasty in power then (Macedonian dynasty
867-1056 A.D.). This renaissance lead to a revival of the ancient Greek
culture concerning literature, arts and education. In painting,
particularly, we can distinguish the revival of Hellenistic style and
patterns. Brilliant sample of this art is the
psalter with the registration number 139 of the National Library of
France in Paris. It includes 14 illuminated pages of incomparable beauty
and Hellenistic style that overturn the stereotypes we have about the
Middle Ages art and prove that the Greek spirit was surviving in
Byzantium (the confirmation was to come a couple of centuries later with
the Paleologan renaissance).
