04360 - Byzantine History

Learning outcomes

The course aims at introducing the student to the history of the Byzantine empire (political ideology, religion, institutions, social structure, economy, social values and culture) conceived in its traditional chronology, namely from the foundation of Constantinople to the capture of the city by the Ottomans (324-1453). At the end of it the student is able to know the main notions of the discipline and he is aware of the role played by Byzantium in the making of Modern Europe.

Course contents

The course will be articulated in two parts: A) general part; B) monographic part.

A) General part (30 h.): Introduction to Byzantine History.

It is devoted to deal with the political history of Byzantine empire and to deepen salient aspects of its society through a discussion of the following topics: 1) political ideology; 2) church; 3) monasticism; 4) administration; 5) army; 6) social values; 7) culture; 8) economy; 9) Byzantium and the world around it.

B) Monographic part (30 hours): From the work of Peter the Patrician: protocols of imperial coronation of the 5^th and 6^th centuries.

In the late-Roman world between the 4^th and the first half of the 6^th century there were substantially two major theories in relation to the foundations of imperial power. The first, which since Plato, through the experiences of Hellenistic kingship and Neoplatonism, reached up to Eusebius of Caesarea, affirmed that sovereignty derived directly from God; the second, equally ancient, from Aristotle and the Roman constitutional experiences, equally shaped the late antique thought (with Julian, Libanius and John Philoponus), by considering that the legitimacy to the exercise of power was founded on a delegation of the people to the candidate for the imperial office . The course aims at addressing this issue not through the theoretical speculations of the intellectuals and the rhetorical arguments of the panegyrists, but through the analysis of the ceremonial protocols of imperial election transmitted by the work of the magister officiorum Peter the Patrician (about 500 - 563), concerning the coronations of Leo I (457-474), Leo II (474), Anastasius I (491-518), Justin I (518-526) and Justinian I (527-565).

 

Readings/Bibliography

A) General part:

— G. Ostrogorsky, Storia dell'impero bizantino, trad. it. Torino 1968 (or following editions).

 

B) Monographic part:

— S. MacCormack, Arte e cerimoniale nell’antichità, It. transl. Torino 1995 (orig. ed. 1981), pp. 247-417;

— A. Pertusi, Il pensiero politico bizantino, edition edited by A. Carile, Bologna 1990, pp. 5-47;

— G. Dagron, Empereur et prêtre. Étude sur le «césaropapisme» byzantin, Paris 1996, pp. 74-105

— M. Gallina, Incoronati da Dio. Per una storia del pensiero politico bizantino, Roma 2016, pp. 7-60.

The protocols of imperial coronations are drawn by: Constantini Porphyrogeniti De cerimoniis aulae Byzantine, ed. I. I. Reiske, Bonnae 1879, capp. 91-95, pp. 410-433; the work has been translated into English: Constantine Porphyrogennetos: The Book of Ceremonies, translated by A. Moffatt and M. Tall, Leiden – Boston 2012 (Byzantina Australiensia, 18), pp. 410-433.

Programme for non attenging-students:

In addition to the essays listed above, it is also required the reading of:

— G. Cavallo (a cura), L'uomo bizantino, Roma-Bari 1992.

 

Teaching methods

Lectures.

Attendance at the course is highly recommended because of the reading of the coronation protocols, which is not easy if one does not have a specific knowledge of Byzantine texts.

Assessment methods

Passing the exam requires an oral exam. It consists in ascertaining the concepts related to part A (general) and part B (monographic) of the course. The final mark of the exam is determined by the following scores: 15/30 for the general part A of the course; 15/30 for part B) monographic course.

Teaching tools

— Translation of texts

— distribution of photocopies

— power-point presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Salvatore Cosentino