090117 PS Law and Society in Byzantium (2026S)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Fr 15.05. 10:45-12:15
Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
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).
- Registration is open from Mo 02.02.2026 06:00 to We 25.02.2026 23:59
- Registration is open from Mo 16.03.2026 06:00 to Th 19.03.2026 14:00
- Deregistration possible until Tu 31.03.2026 23:59
Details
max. 14 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Friday 20.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 27.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 17.04. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 24.04. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 08.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- N Friday 15.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 22.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 29.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 12.06. 10:45 - 13:45 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 19.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
- Friday 26.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Seminarraum d. Inst. f. Byzantinistik u. Neogräzistik, Postgasse 9, 2.Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
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.
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.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Familiarity with the course content.
Examination topics
Course readings and class discussions, students’ own research.
Reading list
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.
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.
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Fr 20.03.2026 00:02
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.