75994 - Cultural History of Byzantium

Learning outcomes

The course aims at conveying to the student the political and religious conceptions, values and modes of social behaviour, as well as the organisation of material life in the Eastern Roman Empire. By the end of the course the student is able to know the historical constituent features of Byzantine civilisation and its close relationship with the societies of the medieval West, Orthodox Slavia and the Sasanian and Muslim Near East. The student is also able to assess the role played by Byzantium in the process of transmitting the traditions of classical and Hellenistic antiquity, as well as Slavonic and Ottoman traditions, into the cultural heritage of modern Europe.

Course contents

The course is divided into two parts: 1) General; 2) Monographic.

1) General Part (12 hours). This section introduces the key aspects of the Byzantine world, focusing on political ideology, the church and monasticism, social values, administration, the military, and the economy.

 

2) Monographic Part (18 hours): War and Power in the Sixth Century

The fifth century was a period of low military conflict for the Eastern Roman Empire, in contrast to the Western part. However, from the early sixth century, the Eastern Empire saw a proliferation of war theatres (Sasanians, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Kutrigur Huns, and Avars), reaching its peak in the middle of the century. This not only led to a significant increase in military expenditure for the Byzantine state but also ensured political and social visibility for the military, which they had not experienced since the fourth century. In this context, the following points will be analysed: 1) overview of documentation; 2) army recruitment procedures and its ethnic composition, with a focus on senior officers; 3) relationships between generals and the imperial court; 4) relationships with civil society; 5) war and religious belief; 6) the profession of arms and forms of economic enrichment; 7) military ‘culture’

 

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography

1) General Part

Required reading:

― Warren Treadgold, Storia di Bisanzio, Italian translation, Mulino, Bologna 2005 (original English edition, Houndmills et al., 2001).

 

2) Monographic Part

Required reading:

―Arnold H. Martin Jones, Il tardo impero romano (284-602 d. C.), Italian translation, Milan 1974 (original edition, Oxford 1974), vol. II, pp. 839-928.

― Giorgio Ravegnani, Soldati di Bisanzio in età giustinianea, Rome 1988.

 

During the course, the following sources will be read, translated, and commented upon: Emperor Anastasius' 'military' decree (ed. F. Onur, «Gephyra», 14, 2017, 133-212); CJ X 27, 1-10 (Anastasian law on synōnē, 491/505); CJ I 27, 2 (military provision for Africa, 534); Iust. Nov. 130 (‘on the transit of soldiers’, 545); Procopius, Secret History XXIV (on the military).

 

For non-attending students, in addition to the cited bibliography, the following reading is recommended:

― Peter Heather, Rome Resurgent. War and Empire in the Age of Justinian Oxford 2018.

 

Teaching methods

The first part of the course is designed as a series of traditional lectures in which the lecturer will present, with the aid of PowerPoint images, the salient developments of the Byzantine Empire from the foundation of Constantinople to its conquest by the Ottomans. The second part, on the other hand, is organised in seminar mode; in it the lecturer will read and translate documents in the original language, trying to stimulate students towards an understanding (and discussion) of the methodological and terminological aspects of historical research.

 

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

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Assessment methods

An oral test is required to pass the examination.


This consists of an assessment of the knowledge of part A of the course (general) and a discussion of the content of part B (monographic).


The final mark of the exam is determined by the following scores: max. 12/30 for part A) general of the course; max. 18/30 for part B) monographic of the course.

Teaching tools

— Translation of sources

— distribution of photocopies

— power-point presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Salvatore Cosentino