Universität Wien

090117 PS Law and Society in Byzantium (2026S)

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 9 - Altertumswissenschaften
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Moodle
Fr 12.06. 10:45-13:45 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 14 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

  • Freitag 20.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 27.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 17.04. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 24.04. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 08.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 15.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 22.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 29.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 19.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Freitag 26.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

Content:
The norms for societal conduct in Byzantium were set by imperial and ecclesiastical law. Legal sources can offer insights into a wide range of issues, from the imperial ideology of the lawgiver to the development of the rights of peasants or the status of women. Other sources, such as letters, can shed light on the legal practice of the empire. Ecclesiastical law regulated the lives of the faithful and especially the clergy, while acts of church councils and the Register of the Patriarchate of Constantinople show ecclesiastical jurisdiction at work.
This seminar offers an introduction into the legal history of Byzantium in all its breadth, its various sources (lawcodes and much more), and the methods for its study, especially its value for the study of social history.

Aims, Methods:
Introduction to the original sources and the history of scholarship, discussion and critical analysis of the sources; contextualization through consultation and discussion of additional sources and relevant scholarship; individual research in consultation with the instructor.
The course will be held in English., but the written seminar paper may be submitted in German. Knowledge of ancient or medieval Greek is an advantage, but not required.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Participation in class discussion based on the assigned readings (30%), one short presentation of 10 minutes (10%), one oral presentation of own research of 20 minutes (20%), written research paper (max. 3.000 words, plus footnotes and bibliography) (40%). This is due by midnight on 1 August 2026, and should be submitted by e-mail to c.rapp@univie.ac.at.
Participation at each class meeting is mandatory. In cases of unavoidable absence, the instructor must be informed ahead of time. If you miss class more than two times, you risk failing the course.

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Familiarity with the course content.

Prüfungsstoff

Course readings and class discussions, students’ own research.

Literatur

Papagianni, Eleftheria and Daphne Penna. A Companion to Byzantine Law: From the Foundation of Constantinople (330) until the End of the Macedonian Dynasty (1056). Brill's Companions to the Byzantine World 15. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2025.
Penna, Daphne and Roos Meijering. A Sourcebook on Byzantine Law: Illustrating Byzantine Law through the Sources. Medieval Law and Its Practice 34. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022.
Pieler, Peter, ‘Rechtsliteratur,’ in Hunger, Herbert, ed. Die hochsprachliche profane Literatur der Byzantiner. Byzantinisches Handbuch im Rahmen des Handbuchs der Altertumswissenschaft 5. Teil, Vol. 2. Munich: C. H. Beck, 1978
Troianos, Spyros. Die Quellen des byzantinischen Rechts. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2017.

Additional readings will be communicated in the course of the semester.

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Letzte Änderung: Fr 20.03.2026 00:02