Byzantine Studies as an Academic Discipline

Abstract

Byzantine Studies are concerned with the history and culture of what has come to be known as the Byzantine Empire, that is, the empire of East Rome. The term 'Byzantine' derives from Byzantium, the name of the city founded in the eighth century BCE that had previously occupied the site of Constantine's Constantinople, and is a modern construct first used in seventeenth-century Europe. 'Byzantium' and 'Byzantine' are now used freely to refer to all aspects of the East Roman Empire and its culture. Today, Byzantine Studies is an academic discipline represented in many universities throughout the Western world, whether in autonomous departments or by the special research interests of individual scholars. Byzantine Studies, in the sense of the study of Byzantine history, language, and literature, has a long pedigree. This book provides a picture of the state of Byzantine Studies today, with bibliographies and references to guide the neophyte reader.