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Writing Style
The Alexiad was originally written in Greek in around 1148. It was first edited by Possinus in 1651. In 1928 the text was then translated to English which is regarded as the closest version to the original text.

The Alexiad is widely studied not only for its text but also for its formatting and style as well as how it was written by a woman. Anna Komnena explicitly describes herself in the text, which goes against the typical formatting of any kind of historiography. The style that she used was so far from what audiences were used to at the time, which was classical Greek histories using prose, that the book was not initially well received. The Alexiad interests many historians because of the fact that she wrote in such a different format. She is the only female writer of this kind of Greek text of her era, and historians are keen to believe that her style of writing may be because she is a woman. Despite the vastly different writing style from what was typical of the era, and her inclusion of herself in the historiography, The Alexiad has been approached as a “straightforward” history.

Influences
Anna Komnena’s writings are a major source for information on her father, Alexius I, of the Byzantine Empire. She was around the age of 55 when she began work on the Alexiad. While she was alive, she held the crusaders that came to her fathers aid in contempt for their actions against Byzantine after they looted the city. She regarded the crusaders, who she refferres to as Celts, Latins and Normans, to be barbarian and uneducated. Despite this, Komnena claims that she portrayed them in a neutral light. Some historians believe her work to be bias because of her feelings towards the Crusaders, and how highly she regards her father.

General Themes
The main theme of the Alexiad is the First Crusades and religious conflict. Komnene chronicles the different groups of people involved in the crusades, and refferes to them as "Celts", "Latins", and "Normans". Komnena also talks about her father, Alexios Komnenos in great detail, and his conquests through out his rule from 1081-1118. She does this by presenting a "Byzantine view" of the Crusades. Some historians have noticed some of the Greek mythology influences in her work. As stated by Lenora Neville, "The characterization of Alexios as wily sea captain steering the empire through constant storms with guile and courage strongly recalls Odysseus."