Universität Wien
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090109 PS Byzantine Historiography. Narrative Histories as Literary Works and Historical Documents (2025W)

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 9 - Altertumswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 14 participants
Language: German, English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 07.10. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 14.10. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 21.10. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Friday 24.10. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 28.10. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 04.11. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Friday 07.11. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 11.11. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 18.11. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 25.11. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 02.12. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Friday 05.12. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 09.12. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Friday 12.12. 09:00 - 10:30 Hörsaal d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 16.12. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 13.01. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Friday 16.01. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 20.01. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 27.01. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
  • Friday 30.01. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Our knowledge of Byzantine history is largely based on the extensive historical works written by the Byzantines themselves. These works provide a narrative history of the empire, focusing on political events and the lives and activities of the upper class. At the same time, these texts are part of a long literary tradition of historiography that dates back to antiquity. To understand Byzantine historiography, it is therefore necessary to grasp both the historical events and the literary characteristics of the texts. This seminar examines paradigmatically the works of four historians (or groups of authors) from different periods: Procopius of Caesarea (ca. 500–560), the so-called Theophanes Continuatus (an anonymous group of authors from the 10th century), Anna Komnene (1083–ca. 1154), and Doukas (ca. 1400–after 1462). The focus is on the complexity of these historical works—both as historical documents and as literary compositions. At the same time, we will discuss which questions these texts fail to answer for historians and what supplementary sources we can consult.

We will read and discuss selected passages from the aforementioned historical works in translation and/or in the original and compare them with other texts and sources. By doing so, students will gain a deeper understanding of the four works at the center of the seminar and acquire a broader overview of Byzantine historiography. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to analyze and critically evaluate historiographical works as both historical sources and literary texts.

Language requirements: Students with or without knowledge of ancient and/or medieval Greek are welcome. The scope and type of reading (original and/or translation) will be determined at the beginning of the semester, depending on the composition of the group. The classroom language will be either German or English, following the needs of the participants.

Assessment and permitted materials

Participation (10%): Active engagement in seminar discussions.

Oral Presentation (40%): Each student independently selects a source text from the semester program to present in the seminar. The student will guide the group through the reading and discussion of the text.

Written Assignment (50%): A written seminar paper based on the orally presented and analyzed texts (approximately 10–12 pages), including a discussion of current scholarly literature. Submission deadline: February 22, 2026.

Written work can be submitted in German or English.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

To pass the course, all components must be graded positively.

Attendance is mandatory. Two excused absences are permitted.

Examination topics

The examination material includes the content covered during the semester as well as independent research and reading. Particular emphasis is placed on the critical reading of sources.

Reading list

Key literature will be announced during the semester. For an introduction, the following works are recommended:

Ruth Macrides (Hrsg.): History as Literature in Byzantium. Farnham 2010.
Leonora Neville: Guide to Byzantine Historical Writing. Cambridge, 2018.
Raimondo Tocci (Hrsg.): A Companion to Byzantine Chronicles. Brill, Leiden/Boston 2025.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Tu 20.01.2026 10:25