You are on page 1of 5

HISTORY 116A: THE EARLY BYZANTINE EMPIRE Fall Quarter 2011 Instructor: Professor Benjamin de Lee office: Bunche

Hall , phone: e-mail: bendelee@ucla.edu; twitter: bendelee office hours: Wednesday 10:00am-12pm, or by appointment Class meets: Monday, Wednesday, 3:30-4:45pm, Haines 220 Course description: This course deals with the history of the Eastern Mediterranean from ca. 300 to 843 AD. By the end of these five centuries, the Eastern Roman Empire, which was based on classical culture, urban life and the Roman imperial tradition, was transformed into a rural, medieval society that was permeated by Christianity. We will explore the ways in which the Byzantine Empire was able to rise to the intellectual and social consequences of the adoption of Christianity and the economic and military challenges posed by the confrontation with the Arabs. Course website: https://classes.sscnet.ucla.edu/course/11F-HIST116A-1 REQUIRED READING D. J. Geanakoplos, Byzantium. Church, Society and Civilization Seen through Contemporary Eyes, Chicago 1984 A. Cameron, The Later Roman Empire, A.D. 284-430, Cambridge, 1993. M. Whittow, The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025, Berkeley and Los Angeles 1996 Ammianus Marcellinus, The Later Roman Empire (A.D. 354-378), London 1986. Any assignments that are not listed above, but included in the syllabus, will be posted on the course website. ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS Attendance at all lectures is mandatory. You will not be able to do well in this class unless you attend all lectures. It is essential that you do all the assigned readings before each class, as there will be some class discussion (in fact, this is the fun part for the instructor and for youso be sure you be part of it!). How to Do Well in This Class: Academic Honesty and Other Helpful Advice Be sure to understand and observe the honor code of academic honesty. Plagiarism is a serious offence that can have dire consequences for your student status. Besides, honest work is the only way to really learn something and it is much more rewarding to know that you will have earned your grade in this way. The Dean of Students has a useful website, where you can click on links for Student Guide to Academic Integrity, find help Before You Begin That Paper, and receive advice How to Get the Better of an Exam. http://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/integrity.html For concrete help on how to cite and acknowledge your sources, consult the Library website Bruin Success with Less Stress for a painless self-guided tutorial. http://www.library.ucla.edu/bruinsuccess/ If you need help with writing your essay (perhaps you have never written a history essay, or are unsure about your English writing style), you can set up an appointment at College Tutorials, 228 Covel Commons, phone: 206-1491. Web Assignment 1, 5% (due at midnight, 10/02): Consider the following scenario: A friend asks you what courses you are taking this quarter. You answer Byzantine history. He/She responds, What is that? Why are you taking that?

History 116A, Fall 2007, p. 2 Based on the first day of lecture by Ronald Mellor, the film by Eugen Weber, and your initial readings, give a one paragraph response. Web Assignment 2, 5% (due at midnight, 11/06): Find an image of a Byzantine object that attracts your attention. For example, you may choose a photograph of a building, an archaeological site, a mosaic, a statue, an icon, or any other object you find interesting. Its date may range from the third to the 15th century. To find your favorite image, search the www (some good entry sites are listed below), or scan in the image from books (the Arts Library is a good resource), postcards, or photographs. You may also use your own photographs. Then write two paragraphs, no more than 300 words total. The first paragraph should explain why this particular image or object appeals to you and attracts your curiosity. The second paragraph should describe the historical significance of the object of your choice: When and where was it made? Where is it now? What was its purpose? Who were its patrons or users? What does it tell us about Byzantine history? Submit your text and image preferably by e-mail to claudiar@history.ucla.edu, but paper submissions will also be accepted. Quiz, 10% (in class; 10/12) Identification of 10 geographical terms and places on an outline map and of 10 important dates. You will receive a study list one week in advance Essay 25% (due 10/31): Analyze and discuss Ammianus Marcellinus, The Later Roman Empire (A.D. 354-378). Max. 1,500 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography). Your argument should be based on your reading of the sources, clearly structured, with references to the page numbers in the texts you have read. Essays delivered after the due date will be downgraded one grade point per day of delay. In an introductory paragraph, describe Ammianus life and works. Include a thesis that will focus on your argument. The following issues should be considered as you construct your thesis and argument: Who was Marcellinus? Why did he write his history? Who was his audience? How does Marcellinus describe his characters? How does his portrayal of them reflect his own point of view? In addition to his main characters, what are the issues of greatest concern to Marcellinus? What are Marcellinus intentions and biases as an author? How successful is Marcellinus as a historian? How do historians use a source like Marcellinus? In a final paragraph, summarize your conclusions. Support your argument with short quotations from the text, and refer in the notes to longer passages from the text. Midterm Exam, 25% (in class; 11/16) This will consist identification questions and one essay. You will be asked to identify ten terms mentioned and discussed in lecture, give their dates (if applicable), and explain their historical significance. A study list will be distributed a week beforehand. Final Exam, 30% (take home; 12/05, 5.00 pm; submit via e-mail) Max. 2,000 words, typewritten. Exam questions will be distributed in class two weeks before the due date.

SYLLABUS

History 116A, Fall 2007, p. 3 M 9/26 Introduction: What is the Byzantine Empire? Why study it? Terms: Roman Late Antiquity Byzantine Constantinople Orthodox Christianity/Greek Orthodoxy/Eastern Orthodoxy The Ambiguity of Terms Questions of Sources The Crisis of the Third Century and Diocletians Response Guest lecturer: Professor Ron Mellor Online exercise 1 (due by 12am October 1) Required reading: Geanakoplos, no. 19, 40, 164; Whittow, p. 1-14; Cameron, 1-46; Marcellinus, 13-40 (introductory material) Diocletian, Edict on Maximum Prices: http://forumancientcoins.com/NumisWiki/view.asp?key=Edict%20of%20Diocletian%20Edict %20on%20Prices family relations within the first tetrarchy: http://www.roman-emperors.org/tetstem.htm Itinerary map of the Late Roman Empire (Peutinger Table): http://www.fhaugsburg.de/~harsch/Chronologia/Lspost03/Tabula/tab_intr.html List of Late Roman officers and their insignia (Notitia Dignitatum): http://www.fh-augsburg.de/~harsch/Chronologia/Lspost05/Notitia/not_intr.html W 9/28 Film: The Byzantine Empire (narrated by Eugene Weber) Cameron, 47-84 Geanakoplos, no. 57, 58.

Remember to do web assignment. M 10/3 Roman Religion in Late Antiquity and the Rise of Monotheism Geanakoplos, no. 1, 67, 92, 106-107, 164-165; Marcellinus, 41-87. Constantine the Great: The First Christian Emperor Cameron, 85-98; Geanakoplos, no. 93, 296-297, 301; Marcellinus, 88-162. Julian the Apostate and the Debate over the Content of Education Cameron, 99-112; Geanakoplos, no. 94, 176, 189, 241-242; Marcellinus, 163-233. Theodosius I and his Successors: The Consolidation of the Christian State Quiz of Places and Dates, in class Cameron 170-194; Geanakoplos, no. 79, 176A, 185, 202; Whittow, p. 96-103; C. Mango, Constantinople, The Oxford History of Byzantium, ed. C. Mango (Oxford, 2002), p. 65-70 (on course website); Marcellinus, 234-312.

W 10/5

M 10/10 W 10/12

History 116A, Fall 2007, p. 4 M 10/17 Constantinople: A Christian Capital Geanakoplos, no. 95-100, 109, 117-119, 137-138, 149; Course Reader, no. 7, 32; Whittow, p. 126-133; Finish Marcellinus (for the paper). Church and Empire in Early Byzantium Geanakoplos, no. 108; 120-122, 128-129, 130, 136, 142-143, 317; additional readings posted online. Religious Life and Theological Issues in Byzantium: Monks, Holy Men, and Councils Cameron, 113-169; Geanakoplos, no. 25-26; Whittow, 89-95. The Administration of the Early Byzantine State Readings on Justinian (course website); Geanakoplos, no. 2, 12, 48-49, 59-60, 73, 99A, 110A, 179, 180-183, 222B, 226, 232-233, 244-245. Justinian: Religious Controversy and Military Conquest Due date for Essay I Geanakoplos, no. 61-62, 68, 71-72, 86-87, 98A, 110 B, 298; Whittow, p. 38-88. Heraclius: Usurpation and Propaganda Geanakoplos, no. 41-44, 67, 69, 81, 169, 254, 249-250; R. Hoyland, The Rise of Islam, The Oxford History of Byzantium, ed. C. Mango (Oxford, 2002), p. 121-128; Selections from al-Tabari. The Prophet Muhammad and the Arab Advance Course Reader: Maurice, Strategikon, VII (What the general has to think of before battle) and chapter XI (War against various nations); Leo VI, Taktikon; Whittow, 106-125; 165-181. Administration and the Army Geanakoplos, no. 35-38, 164-166, 212-214; Whittow, p. 104-106 The Byzantine Economy Study for Midterm. Midterm Examination. Please bring large blue books Geanakoplos, no. 20, 50; 213, 216, 219, 221-222, 234, 237; Whittow, 134-164. Family Life in Early Byzantium; Religion Popular and Imperial (Religion in a Time of Crisis: Looking to Appease God). Office hours for students who wish to pick up midterm or to discuss their progress in the class. Geanakoplos, no. 111-113; A New Beginning: the Syrian Dynasty and Iconoclasm Geanakoplos, no. 13, 38, 73, 114-115, 146, 196, 246, 257, 266; Whittow, 194-357.

W 10/19

M 10/24 W 10/26

M 10/31

W 11/2

M 11/7

W 11/9

M 11/14 W 11/16 M 11/21 W 11/23 M 11/28

History 116A, Fall 2007, p. 5 W 11/30 Recovery and Confrontation Review of final exams due date for Take-Home Final. E-mail submissions only.

M 12/05

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES http://members.aol.com/frsteven/academic/data.html an annotated list (produced in 1999) of all internet resources on Byzantine history, art and architecture http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/byzantium/ an entry site for Byzantine and Medieval Studies, including links to the Medieval source book; maintained by Paul Halsall www.roman-emperors.org/ De imperatoribus romanis, hyperlinked list of all Roman Emperors, from Augustus to the last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI; genealogical tables, and links to maps http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html the Catholic Encyclopedia online, searchable. Look for entries on Patriarchs, Emperors, theologians and other authors, as well as long, informative essays on the Byzantine Empire and Byzantine literature, but be aware of the religious and confessional bias of the publication, which dates from the 1920s. www.doaks.org/Byzantine.html maintained by the international research center for Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks, contains lots of images of Byzantine art, timelines, and a link to its library catalog, among others http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Byzantium/gallery.html nice images of objects in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum, plus some introductory information; there is also a useful timeline http://www.byzantium1200.com/index.html online virtual Constantinople

You might also like