In the historiographical work of Kinnamos, the traditional perceptions of the Byzantines about themselves and their neighbors in the second half of the 12th century are recorded.

Particular interest lies in the author's references to the Asian front of the Byzantine Empire, facilitating the understanding of the conditions that led to the fateful defeat of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos at Myriokephalon (1176), which trapped the Turkish presence in central and eastern Asia Minor.

For these reasons, Kinnamos' work constitutes a particularly important source for the period of the Komnenos, the last flourish of the Byzantine state before its collapse under the blows of the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade (1204).