72438 - Social History of the Byzantine World (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course aims at conveying to the student the knowledge of mentality and values of the Byzantine society, as well as the evolution of its social structure and features of its economic life (landscape and settlements, money, factors of production, distribution and consumption). At the end of the course the students is able to contextualize critically the acquired notions in the framework of the socio-economic history of late antique and medieval Mediterranean. He is able to read specialised literature in at least one foreign language.

Course contents

The course will be divided into two parts:

A) general part dedicated to a historical introduction to the Byzantine world (12 hours).

B) monographic part dedicated to the topic: Assimilation or Annihilation: The Fate of the Ostrogoths in Reconquered Italy (535-554ca.) (18 h.)

 

General part:

It consists of a brief introduction to the key aspects of the Byzantine world. Designed as a preparatory unit for the contents of the monographic part, it will focus particularly on themes concerning political ideology, mentality, religion and social values.

 

Monographic part:

The long reign of Theodoric, praised by contemporary propaganda for his ability to govern justly and promote coexistence between Goths and Romans, ended in 526 with his death, preceded by the assassination of some senators who had previously supported his regime. After about a decade of instability, in 535, war broke out between the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Romans, a long and bloody conflict where imperial propaganda strategically emphasized the Ostrogoths’ traits as heretical Arian sectarians. Unlike the Vandals in Africa, who were wiped out within a few months, the Ostrogoths resisted fiercely, demonstrating significant resilience, organization, and pursuit of their own political and socioeconomic interests. This course aims to study the theme of the fate of this community. Within it, different choices are glimpsed faced the Imperials: some members, especially from the upper aristocracy, who had already assimilated to Roman ways of life previously, sought compromise and the perpetuation of their own power; the majority of the Goths, sensing that defeat would lead to a loss of their social status, instead showed an uncompromising attitude towards military confrontation; the female element, especially after the war, sought greater protection from ecclesiastical institutions; a minority of warriors were recruited, after 552, into the Roman army and presumably transferred to Anatolia. In this context, it is also interesting to follow the fortunes of members of the Roman Senate, some of whom had initially supported the Ostrogothic government but later abandoned it, moving to Constantinople at the start of the war, in an attempt both to influence imperial policy and to protect their economic interests in the peninsula. The end of the Greco-Gothic war, however, brought about a transformation in social hegemonies that affected both the Goths and the Romans.

Readings/Bibliography

1) Introductory part

Reading is required of:  

Antonio Carile, ‘Bizantino, Impero’ in Grande Dizionario Enciclopedico Utet, Torino 1986, s. v., pp. 394-405.

 

2) Monographic part

Reading is required of: 

― Herwig Wolfram, Storia dei Goti, edizione italiana rivista e ampliata dall’Autore a cura di Maria Cesa, Roma 1985, pp. 468-530.

― Peter Heather, Roma risorta. L’impero dopo la caduta, trad. it. Milano 2021, pp. 154-237, 305-385.

― Cristina La Rocca, “Ritornare fragili. Immagine e pratiche delle donne prima durante e dopo la guerra gotica”, in H. Dey, F. Oppedisano (a cura / eds), Justinian’s Legacy. The Last War of Roman Italy / L’eredità di Giustiniano. L’ultima guerra de dell’Italia Romana, Saggi di Storia Antica, 45, Roma 2024, pp. 337-369.

― Fabrizio Oppedisano, “The End of the Roman Senate”, in Dey, Oppedisano (a cura di/eds), Justinian’s Legacy / L’eredità di Giustiniano, cit., pp. 183-225.

― Umberto Roberto, “La crisi del senato di Roma in età giustinianea e le conseguenze sulla riflessione politica a Costantinopoli”, in Atti dell’Accademia Romanistica Costantiniana XXVI, Per i cinquant’anni della ‘Costantiniana’, Oriente e Occidente in dialogo in onore di Jean-Michel Carrié, Perugia 2025, pp. 627-652.

 

Teaching methods

The first part of the course is conceived  as a series of traditional lectures during which the instructor will present, aided by PowerPoint slides, the key developments of the Byzantine Empire from the foundation of Constantinople to its conquest by the Ottomans. The second part, on the other hand, is organized in a seminar format. In this part, the instructor will not only present phenomena,  definitions and concepts of history but also analyze documents in their original language, aiming to stimulate students to understand (and discuss) methodological aspects of historical research.

 

The source texts that will be read during the course will be distributed during the lectures.

 

P.S. Foreign students wishing to follow the course are required to have a knowledge of Italian of at least level B 2.

Assessment methods

Passing the examination requires an oral test.

It consists of assessing the knowledge related to both the general part and the monographic part.

 

The final grade for the exam is determined by the following scores: maximum 12/30 for part A) the general section of the course, and maximum 18/30 for part B) the monographic section of the course.

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

― Translations of sources 

― power-point presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Salvatore Cosentino