Questions of Byzantine History [ LGLOR2523 ]

The iCampus server enables the student to obtain the lectures and supporting documents.

None, but a knowledge of ancient Greek is useful.

A study of the political, administrative and fiscal system of the Byzantine Empire, from the IVth to the XVth century.

The course deals with the various dimensions of the history of the Byzantine State (political, administrative, fiscal, etc.). Particular attention will be paid to the written sources (legal documents, protocols and lists of precedences, literary texts).

At the end of this course, the student will be capable of mastering the elements of the functioning of the Byzantine State. In order to achieve this, he will have mastered the various working tools, and will also be able to carry out a personal research on the Byzantine institutions.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Oral exam

Lectures.

The Byzantine state  developed a particular form of organisation. During its eleven centuries of existence ( 330 A.D. to 1453 A.D), it underwent profound modifications, starting out  with a system akin to  the  Roman empire to arrive at one typically medieval. It is this evolution which the course seeks to illustrate by a profound study of several themes, such as the administration of territories, and of finance, taxation etc. The study of source documents will enable the student to understand the daily functioning of the Byzantine state and to appreciate its characteristics and evolution.

The lecturer will provide texts and course material.

The lecturer will fix the timetable jointly with the students at the beginning of the year.