PISIDES, GEORGE (Τεῦργιος δ Πισίδης). — Pisidian by origin, deacon and skeuophylax of Hagia Sophia, lived under Emperor Heraclius (610–41) and Patriarch Sergius, with whom he maintained close relations. He accompanied the Emperor on his campaigns against the Persians and celebrated his deeds in verse.
His works include: 1) *Heraclius’ Expedition against the Persians*, a poem recounting the events of the 622 campaign; 2) *The Siege of Constantinople by the Avars and Their Defeat*; 3) *The Heraclidae*, or the final victory of Heraclius over Chosroes; 4) *Hexaemeron*, or the Creation of the World, his most extensive work, surviving in an Armenian translation and a Slavo-Russian version from the 14th century; 5) Epigrams and minor poems of various character, including *Against the Wicked Severus*, a theological piece directed against the Monophysite doctor, and *On the Resurrection of Christ* and *On the Vanity of Life*.
Opinions on Pisides’ work have varied. The Byzantines (e.g., Psellos) compared him to Euripides, while others dismissed him as a mediocre versifier due to his lack of originality. In truth, for the correctness of form, clarity, and fluidity of language, he stands as the finest among the secular poets of the Byzantine era. Nevertheless, despite occasional flashes of genuine inspiration, his work is heavily indebted to the bombastic rhetoric of a decadent period.
For the *Akathistos Hymn*, falsely attributed to him, V. ACATISTO. Other works are found in *PG* 92, 1160–1756, reproducing the edition by J. M. Querci (Rome, 1777); a series of poems overlooked by Querci were published by L. Sternbach, *Georgii Pisidae carmina inedita*, in *Wiener Studien*, 13 (1891), pp. 1–62; 14 (1892), pp. 51–68; additional fragments in L. Sternbach, *De Georgii Pisidae apud Theophanum aliosque historicos reliquiis*, in *Dissert. philolog. Acad. litter. Cracoviensis*, 2nd ser., 15 (1910), pp. 1–198.