69666 - Social and Economic History of the Byzantine World

Academic Year 2012/2013

Learning outcomes

The course aims at conveying to the student the knowledge of mentality, values and structure of the Byzantine society, as well as the features of its Byzantine economy (landscape, money, factors influencing production, distribution and demand). At the end of the course the student must be able to set critically his learning outcomes in the framework of the socio-economic history of late antique and eastern medieval Mediterranean. Moreover, he must be able to read the specialized literature in at least one foreign language.

Course contents

Title of the course: The private life in Byzantium in the eleventh century: family, love and feelings in the "Strategicon" by Cecaumenos.

The course aims at investigating the family and intimate aspects of the Byzantine mentality through the pages of the III book of the Strategicon by Cecaumenos.

Readings/Bibliography

- Cecaumeno,Raccomandazioni e consigli di un galantuomo (Strategicon), testo critico, traduzione e note a cura di M. D. Spadaro, Alessandria 1998.

- A. P. Kazhdan,Bisanzio e la sua civiltà, trad. it. Roma - Bari 1983.

- E. Patlagean,Bisanzio, X-XI secoloinLa vita privata dall'impero romano all'anno Mille, a cura di Ph. Ariès e G. Duby, trad. it. Roma - Bari 2001 (ed. orig. 2001), pp. 420-483.

- A.-M. Talbot,La donnainL'uomo bizantino, a cura di G. Cavallo, Roma - Bari 1992, pp. 167-207.

- A. E. Laiou,Mariage, amour et parenté à Byzance aux XIe - XIIIe siècles, Paris 1992.

- A Companion to Byzantium, ed. by L. James, Chichester 2010 (contributions by C. Hennessy, pp. 80-92; M. Hatzaki, pp. 93-107; M. Hinterberger, pp. 123-134; S. Tougher, pp. 135-145).

Teaching methods

Lectures

Assessment methods

Paperwork (15-20 pages) concerning an aspect which has been dealt with during class and oral examination about the notions regarding the course.

Teaching tools

Reading, translation and commentary of the III book of the Strategicon by Cecaumenos and of other sources related to it.

Office hours

See the website of Salvatore Cosentino