general background · specialization · Skills Development

Functions of Words and Letters
in Byzantine Daily Life

Postgraduate Programme — Level 7

10 ECTS Credits
3 hrs / week
English Language
Open to Erasmus
None Prerequisites

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion, students will be able to:

1)

Analyze the diverse functions of Byzantine writing, from legal authority to spiritual protection

2)

Evaluate the role of inscriptions and monograms in public and ecclesiastical spaces

3)

Interpret archaeological and material evidence, including seals, stamps, and trade weights

4)

Assess the significance of literacy and education in Byzantine daily life

5)

Utilize key databases and electronic resources to retrieve and analyze textual sources

6)

Examine how writing and signatures functioned within Byzantine administrative systems

7)

Construct research-based arguments regarding the social and cultural history of Byzantine literacy

8)

Communicate complex historical findings on Byzantine communication practices effectively

COURSE SYLLABUS

13 Modules

Week 01 | Introduction: Sources and Texts

Presentation of textual sources relevant to the topic, along with an introduction to key databases and electronic resources for retrieving information.

Exploration of the concept of authority in Middle Greek sources, focusing on how written words convey, construct, and legitimise authority.

Names as tools for organising daily life and marking ownership. The necessity of signatures within the highly developed administrative system of Byzantium; discussion of their function and legal character, with examples from different social strata.

Monograms as one of the most sophisticated forms of signature. Overview of their historical development, peak usage, and eventual decline; discussion of their forms and the challenges of identifying individuals.

Introduction to Byzantine epigraphy, including definitions and functions of inscriptions.

Illustrative examples from urban walls and public buildings, highlighting the role of inscriptions in shared spaces.

Introduction to donor inscriptions and their functions, with selected examples.

Objects such as scales, coins, and trade weights as evidence for the organisation of market transactions; discussion of the Book of the Eparch (10th century).

The complexity of trade and exchange processes. Amphorae as carriers of goods bearing inscriptions or dipinti; introduction to metal stamps as primary sources for reconstructing trade networks.

The longstanding connection between writing and magical practices. Even within a Christianised context, words and letters served functions of spiritual protection and support; examples of inscribed objects.

The use of written marks to secure and control goods and property; stamps and seals as instruments of authentication and protection.

The role of writing in preserving the memory of the deceased. The recording of names as a means of commemoration and as a marker of status and wealth.

Discussion of education and instruction in reading and writing, and their significance for everyday life.

ASSESSMENT

Student Evaluation

20%

Seminar Participation

20%

Primary Source Analysis

20%

Public presentation

40%

Research Essay

Workload — ECTS Distribution

250 Hours Total

Lectures

26

Seminar discussions

13

Primary source workshops

20

Study and analysis of bibliography

40

Student presentations

11

Independent study

70

Essay writing

70

Course Total

250

Recommended Bibliography

Suggested bibliography:

  • Bardill, , Brickstamps of Constantinople, Oxford 2004.
  • Bendall, , Byzantine Weights. An Introduction, London 1996.
  • Boyd, A. – Mundell Mango, M. (eds), Ecclesiastical Silver Plate in Sixth-Cen- tury Byzantium, Washington, D.C. 1992.
  • Caseau, B., “Magical Protection and Stamps in Byzantium”, in: I. Regulski – K. Duistermaat – Verkinderen (eds), Seals and Sealing Practices in the Near East. Developments in Administration and Magic from Prehistory to the Islamic Period, Proceedings of the International Workshop in Cairo, 2–3 December 2009, Leuven 2012, 119–137.
  • Cruikshank Dodd, E., Byzantine Silver Stamps. With an Excursus on the Comes Sacrarum Largitionum by John P. Kent, Washington, D.C. 1961.
  • Cruikshank Dodd, E., Byzantine Silver Stamps. Supplement II: More Treasure from Syria, Washington, D.C. 1968.
  • Dölger, , Facsimiles byzantinischer Kaiserurkunden. Munich 1931.
  • Dölger, F., Aus den Schatzkammern des Heiligen Berges. 115 Urkunden und 50 Urkundensiegel aus 10 Jahrhunderten. Textband. Tafelband. Munich 1948.
  • Entwistle, Ch., “Late Roman and Byzantine Weights and Weighing Equipment”, in: Jeffreys (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies, Oxford 2008, 1– 11.
  • Foskolou, V., “The Magic of the Written Word. The Evidence of Inscriptions on Byzantine Magical Amulets”, Deltion of the Christian Archaeological Society 35
  • Garipzanov, , Graphic Signs of Authority in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, 300–900, Oxford 2018.
  • Grünbart, , Macht und Präsenz der Buchstaben im byzantinischen Alltag, Berlin 2021 (with further extensive bibliography).
  • Laiou, E. (ed.): The Economic History of Byzantium. From the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century. 1–3, Washington, D.C. 2002.
  • McCormick, M., Origins of the European Economy. Communications and Com- merce, A.D. 300–900, Cambridge 2001.
  • Nesbitt, , “Byzantine Copper Tokens”, Studies in Byzantine Sigillography [1] (1987) 67–75.
  • Pitarakis, , “Daily Life at the Marketplace in Late Antiquity and Byzantium”, in: Morrisson (ed.), Trade and Markets in Byzantium, Washington, D.C. 2012, 399–426.
  • Rautman, L.: Daily Life in the Byzantine Empire. Westport, Conn. 2006.
  • Vikan, – Nesbitt, J., Security in Byzantium. Locking, Sealing, and Weighing. Washington, D. C. 1980.
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