Syllabus for Roster(s):
Full Syllabus
ARTH 3559- Warfare & society in the Byzantine world
Meets: MW 3:30-4:45
Instructor: Fotini Kondyli
Email: fk8u@virginia.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:30-5:30 pm
Office Location: Fayerweather Hall- Office no. 310
TA: Eric Hupe
TA’s office hours: 2:30-3:30
Office location: Fayerweather Hall-Visual resources collection
Course description:
In Game of Thrones the siege of King’s Landing is not entirely a product of Martin’s imagination but rather inspired by Byzantine warfare. In this course we will examine the socio-economic, and political history of Byzantine warfare (c. 400-1500) based on fortifications, weapons, and artistic representations of war. We will focus on the people engaged in warfare, on military technology, logistics, borders and the impact of religion on warfare.
Course aims: The aims of the course are to introduce students to the art of Byzantine warfare through military architecture, technology and art. The course also seeks to provide hands-on experiences for the students to help them understand how aspects of Byzantine war, such as fortifications and siege machines really worked. Another aim is to explore Byzantine warfare beyond violence and conflict and explore exchange of ideas and technologies even beyond the enemy lines, concepts of the “other” and religious and social belief systems. Finally the assignments in this course are varied and allow the students to explore the main themes of course, pose questions and develop their ideas through a range of media, such as papers, blogs and documentaries.
Requirements: No previous knowledge on Byzantine material culture is required. Students are responsible for doing the assigned reading before class and hand in their assignments on time. All students are expected to follow the University Honor Code: http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/shorthistory/code.html.
Classroom decorum: Please maintain an appropriate decorum in class. Please ensure that your cell phone/pda/ipod/etc is turned off and silenced. If you use your laptop during class, please make sure you use it for class related purposes (i.e. note taking) and not for web surfing or social media. Please do not consume food prodigiously or noisily during class and please clean up after yourself when you leave the classroom.
Violence-free campus: As a faculty member I support a safe and violence-free campus. As your professor and as a person know that I care about you and your well-being and stand ready to provide support and resources as I can.
Evaluation scheme:
Short papers: 30% of the final grade (10% for each paper)
Participation: 20% of the final grade
Blog: 10% of the final grade
Final project: 40% of the final grade
Grading scheme:
A: 94-100 C+: 77-79 D-:60-62
A- : 90-93 C: 73-76 F:0-59
B+: 87-89 C-:70-72
B: 83-86 D+:67-69
B-: 80-82 D: 63-66
Assignments:
Short papers: Each paper should not exceed 1500 words and should be uploaded on Collab. Papers should have appropriate citations and be accompanied by appropriate bibliography at the end. Images should be included and appropriately cited. For appropriate citation format look here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.
Short Paper #1: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 4 on early byzantine fortifications. Based on the discussions during the workshop day, describe and discuss your ideal fortification. For a complete paper you should describe individual defense features and the real fortifications that inspired your choices. You will also need to justify your decisions and explain why this particular combination of defensive architectural features is ideal. Paper is due: February 6, 9pm.
Short Paper #2: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 7 on military saints. Based on the discussions during the workshop day, discuss the evolution and artistic representation of military saints. You may choose to compare and contrast the artistic representations of two saints or discuss the changes in the artistic representation of one saint from the Early to Late Byzantine period (4th c-15th c). Paper is due: March 6, 9pm.
Short Paper #3: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 10 on the illuminated manuscript of Skylitzes. Based on the discussions on the workshop day, discuss artistic representations of war, war tactics, concepts of victory or depictions of enemies in the Byzantine manuscript of Skylitzes. Paper is due: March 27, 9pm.
Participation: Participation in class activities and discussion are expected both during the lectures and workshops. You will be graded based on the degree of you participation. Discussions and mini-presentations on the podcasts also count towards your participation grade.
Blog: This course will use a UVA blog as a platform of communication between the students of the class as well as with the UVA community. The blog is also meant as an engaging way for students to develop their writing skills and experience how their writing can be powerful, interesting to others and influential. At the end of each class, one student will be responsible for writing a blog related to the day’s topic. Specific topics will be agreed with me at the end of each class. Student blogging about themes touched upon Monday’s class should post their blogs by Tuesdays 9 pm. Students blogging about themes touched upon Wednesday’s class should post their blogs by Thursdays 9 pm. Blog posts should not exceed 700 words. All students are expected to read fellow students’ posts and contribute weekly with comments. In order to get a full grade on your blog activity you must have 2 posts by the end of classes (April 27) and comment on others’ blog posts at least once each week.
Final project: The final project for the class will be a documentary, recreating the siege and fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. This will be a group project for the entire class but with distinct roles for each student.. Small teams of students will work on collecting information and creating 3D replicas of Constantinople’s defensive elements such as walls, gates and towers. Others will be working on offensive siege machines and cannons, and others on weapons and armor for the Byzantine, Genoese, Venetian and Ottoman army and finally on the navy and boats. Towards the end of the semester all groups will work together in writing the script and shooting the documentary. Together with the documentary, each student will submit a paper (max 1500 words) describing in detail their individual work and contribution to the documentary. Documentary screening is planned for April 29.
Extra credit activities: There will be two extra credit activities that can allow you to boost and increase your final grade. These are not obligatory assignments but they are fun and can make a difference in your overall grade.
On Week 6 we will organize a videogame event and play Assassins’ Creed, paying attention to the architectural features of the Constantinople, particularly defensive walls, war and victory monuments, fighting techniques, weapons. You will then write a small paper (1000 words max.) discussing how the graphics of game compare with our understanding of Constantinople, its monuments and Byzantine warfare. Paper due: February 20, 9 pm
On Week 12 we will be organizing a pizza and movie night to watch Kingdom of Heaven and think about the Crusades and the siege of Jerusalem. You will be writing a paper (1500 words max.) commenting on the film’s depictions of the fortifications and siege techniques in relation to what we have been discussing in class on Crusader warfare. Paper due: April 17, 9 pm
Readings:
There is no main textbook for this class. Weekly readings will be available as PDFs in Collab.
Podcasts for the class can be found here: http://12byzantinerulers.com/
Week 1 (January 12 & 14) Introduction – Lessons from the Roman Empire
Monday, Jan 12
http://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/15/take-me-back-to-constantinople/
Wednesday, Jan 14
S. Curcic, Architecture in the Balkans, pp. 43-59.
Podcast: Constantine –Part 1 .
__________________________________________________________________
Week 2: Constantinople: a city ready for war
Monday, Jan 19
NO CLASS
Wednesday, Jan 21
S. Turnbull, The walls of Constantinople AD 324-1454, pp. 4-24.
J. Freely- A. Cakman, Byzantine monuments of Istanbul, pp. 44-46, 49-55.
Podcast: Constantine –Part 2.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 3: Late Antique fortifications and warfare: from Theodosius to Justinian
Monday, Jan 26
J. Crow, ‘Fortifications and the Late Roman East’, pp. 397-432.
A. W. Lawrence, ‘A Skeletal History of Byzantine Fortifications’, pp. 171-188.
Podcast: Zeno.
Wednesday, Jan 28
A. W. Lawrence, ‘A Skeletal History of Byzantine Fortification’, pp. 188-200.
T. Gregory, ‘Procopius on Greece’, pp. 105-114.
Podcast: Justinian- Part 1 & 2 & 3.
Workshop Day: Build the best fortification
__________________________________________________________________
Week 4: The Early byzantine Emperors as victorious rulers
Monday, Feb 2
J. Elsner, ‘From the Culture of Spolia to the Cult of Relics: The Arch of Constantine and the Genesis of Late Antique Forms’, pp. 149-184.
S. Malmberg, ‘Triumphal arches and gate of piety at Constantinople, Ravenna and Rome’, pp. 150-189.
Wednesday, Feb 4
E. Cormack, Byzantine Art, Chapter 2.
H. Maguire, Earth and Ocean, Chapter VII.
Podcast: Heraclius
Workshop Day: Early byzantine coins- http://www.doaks.org/museum/online-exhibitions/byzantine-emperors-on-coins
__________________________________________________________________
Week 5: The rise of the Arabs and the Byzantine response
Monday, Feb 9
Museum of Byzantine Culture, Byzantium and the Arabs, pp. 18-27, 36-39, 56-59, 62-63.
J. Haldon, ‘Greek Fire’ revisited: recent and current research’, pp. 290-325.
Podcast-Irene
Wednesday, Feb 11
E. Ivison, ‘Amorium and the Byzantine Dark Ages’, pp. 25-55.
Podcast: Basil I
Workshop Day: A. Walmsley, ‘Economic Developments and the nature of settlement in the towns and countryside of Syria-Palestine, ca. 565-800’, pp. 319-352.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 6: From Basil to Alexios: Art of war and fortifications in the Middle Byzantine period
Monday, Feb 16
P. Stephenson, The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer, 49-65.
R. Nelson, “And so, with the help of God”: The Byzantine Art of War in the Tenth Century, pp. 169-192.
Podcast: Basil II
Wednesday, Feb 18
A. W. Lawrence, ‘A Skeletal History of Byzantine Fortifications’, pp. 210-224.
J. Crow, ‘Alexios Komnenos and Kastamon: castles and settlements in Middle Byzantine Paphlagonia’, pp. 12-36.
Podcast: Alexius
Workshop Day: Fortification functions-viewsheds and line of sight.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 7: The rise of military saints and heavenly protection
Monday, Feb 23
C. Walter, The warrior saints in Byzantine Art and Tradition, pp. 261-290.
P. Grotowski, Arms and Armour of the warrior saints: Tradition and innovation in Byzantine Iconography (843–1261), pp. 98-124.
Wednesday, Feb 25
C. Angelidi and Titos Papamastorakis, ‘Picturing the spiritual protector: from Blachernitissa to Hodegetria’, pp. 209-223.
B. Pentcheva, Icons and Power: The Mother of God in Byzantium, pp. 61-108.
Workshop Day: Discussion on military saints and preparation for Paper #2
__________________________________________________________________
Week 8: Siege engines, military technologies and armies
Monday, March 2
M. Whitby, Siege machines in late antiquity: siege warfare and counter sieges tactics, pp. 433-460.
D. Nicolle, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): "Byzantium, the Islamic World & India AD 476-1526".
Wednesday, March 4
Ian Heath, Byzantine armies.
P. Chevedden, ‘The invention of the counterweight Trebuchet’, pp. 71-116.
Workshop Day: Siege craft manuals.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 9
Spring break
__________________________________________________________________
Week 10: Representations of wars, victory and heroes
Monday, March 16
V. Tsamakda, The illustrated chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes in Madrid, pp. 15-19, 22-41
E. Boeck, ‘The politics of visualizing an imperial demise: transforming a Byzantine chronicle into a Sicilian visual narrative’, pp. 243-257.
Wednesday, March 18
C. Livanos, ‘A case study in Byzantine Dragon-Slaying: Digenes and the Serpent’, pp. 125-144.
H. Maguire, ‘Signs and symbols of your victorious reign: The political ideology and meaning of Falconry in Byzantium’, pp.135-146.
Workshop Day: Discussion and preparation of Paper #3.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 11: Diplomacy and cross cultural exchange
Monday, March 23
H. Evans, The Glory of Byzantium, pp. 403-433.
A. Walker, ‘Islamicising motif in Byzantine Lead Seals: Exoticing style and the Expression of Identity’, 385-409.
Wednesday, March 25
A. Walker, The Emperor and the world, Chapter 4.
E. R. Hoffman, ‘Pathways of Portability: Islamic and Christian interchange from the tenth to the twelfth century’, pp. 17-42.
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
__________________________________________________________________
Week 12: Warfare & society at the time of Crusades
Monday, March 30
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1192-1302.
A. Boas, Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, pp. 41-73.
Wednesday, April 1
Digital Media Lab
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
__________________________________________________________________
Week 13: Late Byzantine fortifications
Monday, April 6
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in Cyprus, Greece and the Aegean 1191-1571.
S. Kalopisi-Verti , ‘Mistra: A Late Byzantine fortified settlement’, pp. 224-239.
Wednesday, April 8-The siege and fall of Constantinople
M. Philippides and W. Hanak, The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, Chapter 5.
S. Turnbull, The walls of Constantinople AD 324-1454, pp. 49-57.
Podcast: Constantine XI
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 14: The siege and fall of Constantinople
Monday, April 13
D. Nicolle, Campaign- Constantinople 1453
Wednesday, April 15
PRESENTATIONS
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
__________________________________________________________________
Week 15 : Getting ready for the siege/final project week
Monday, April 20
Wednesday, April 22
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
__________________________________________________________________
Documentary screening: April 29.
Course Description (for SIS)
ARTH 3559- Warfare & society in the Byzantine world
Meets: MW 3:30-4:45
Instructor: Fotini Kondyli
Email: fk8u@virginia.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:30-5:30 pm
Office Location: Fayerweather Hall- Office no. 310
Course description:
In Game of Thrones the siege of King’s Landing is not entirely a product of Martin’s imagination but rather inspired by Byzantine warfare. In this course we will examine the socio-economic, and political history of Byzantine warfare (c. 400-1500) based on fortifications, weapons, and artistic representations of war. We will focus on the people engaged in warfare, on military technology, logistics, borders and the impact of religion on warfare.
Course aims: The aims of the course are to introduce students to the art of Byzantine warfare through military architecture, technology and art. The course also seeks to provide hands-on experiences for the students to help them understand how aspects of Byzantine war, such as fortifications and siege machines really worked. Another aim is to explore Byzantine warfare beyond violence and conflict and explore exchange of ideas and technologies even beyond the enemy lines, concepts of the “other” and religious and social belief systems. Finally the assignments in this course are varied and allow the students to explore the main themes of course, pose questions and develop their ideas through a range of media, such as papers, blogs and documentaries.
Requirements: No previous knowledge on Byzantine material culture is required. Students are responsible for doing the assigned reading before class and hand in their assignments on time. All students are expected to follow the University Honor Code: http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/shorthistory/code.html.
Classroom decorum: Please maintain an appropriate decorum in class. Please ensure that your cell phone/pda/ipod/etc is turned off and silenced. If you use your laptop during class, please make sure you use it for class related purposes (i.e. note taking) and not for web surfing or social media. Please do not consume food prodigiously or noisily during class and please clean up after yourself when you leave the classroom.
Violence-free campus: As a faculty member I support a safe and violence-free campus. As your professor and as a person know that I care about you and your well-being and stand ready to provide support and resources as I can.
Evaluation scheme:
Short papers: 30% of the final grade (10% for each paper)
Participation: 20% of the final grade
Blog: 10% of the final grade
Final project: 40% of the final grade
Grading scheme:
A: 94-100 C+: 77-79 D-:60-62
A- : 90-93 C: 73-76 F:0-59
B+: 87-89 C-:70-72
B: 83-86 D+:67-69
B-: 80-82 D: 63-66
Assignments:
Short papers: Each paper should not exceed 1500 words and should be uploaded on Collab. Papers should have appropriate citations and be accompanied by appropriate bibliography at the end. Images should be included and appropriately cited. For appropriate citation format look here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.
Short Paper #1: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 4 on early byzantine fortifications. Based on the discussions during the workshop day, describe and discuss your ideal fortification. For a complete paper you should describe individual defense features and the real fortifications that inspired your choices. You will also need to justify your decisions and explain why this particular combination of defensive architectural features is ideal. Paper is due: February 6, 9pm.
Short Paper #2: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 7 on military saints. Based on the discussions during the workshop day, discuss the evolution and artistic representation of military saints. You may choose to compare and contrast the artistic representations of two saints or discuss the changes in the artistic representation of one saint from the Early to Late Byzantine period (4th c-15th c). Paper is due: March 6, 9pm.
Short Paper #3: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 10 on the illuminated manuscript of Skylitzes. Based on the discussions on the workshop day, discuss artistic representations of war, war tactics, concepts of victory or depictions of enemies in the Byzantine manuscript of Skylitzes. Paper is due: March 27, 9pm.
Participation: Participation in class activities and discussion are expected both during the lectures and workshops. You will be graded based on the degree of you participation. Discussions and mini-presentations on the podcasts also count towards your participation grade.
Blog: This course will use a UVA blog as a platform of communication between the students of the class as well as with the UVA community. The blog is also meant as an engaging way for students to develop their writing skills and experience how their writing can be powerful, interesting to others and influential. At the end of each class, one student will be responsible for writing a blog related to the day’s topic. Specific topics will be agreed with me at the end of each class. Student blogging about themes touched upon Monday’s class should post their blogs by Tuesdays 9 pm. Students blogging about themes touched upon Wednesday’s class should post their blogs by Thursdays 9 pm. Blog posts should not exceed 700 words. All students are expected to read fellow students’ posts and contribute weekly with comments. In order to get a full grade on your blog activity you must have 2 posts by the end of classes (April 27) and comment on others’ blog posts at least once each week.
Final project: The final project for the class will be a documentary, recreating the siege and fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. This will be a group project for the entire class but with distinct roles for each student.. Small teams of students will work on collecting information and creating 3D replicas of Constantinople’s defensive elements such as walls, gates and towers. Others will be working on offensive siege machines and cannons, and others on weapons and armor for the Byzantine, Genoese, Venetian and Ottoman army and finally on the navy and boats. Towards the end of the semester all groups will work together in writing the script and shooting the documentary. Together with the documentary, each student will submit a paper (max 1500 words) describing in detail their individual work and contribution to the documentary. Documentary screening is planned for April 29.
Extra credit activities: There will be two extra credit activities that can allow you to boost and increase your final grade. These are not obligatory assignments but they are fun and can make a difference in your overall grade.
On Week 6 we will organize a videogame event and play Assassins’ Creed, paying attention to the architectural features of the Constantinople, particularly defensive walls, war and victory monuments, fighting techniques, weapons. You will then write a small paper (1000 words max.) discussing how the graphics of game compare with our understanding of Constantinople, its monuments and Byzantine warfare. Paper due: February 20, 9 pm
On Week 12 we will be organizing a pizza and movie night to watch Kingdom of Heaven and think about the Crusades and the siege of Jerusalem. You will be writing a paper (1500 words max.) commenting on the film’s depictions of the fortifications and siege techniques in relation to what we have been discussing in class on Crusader warfare. Paper due: April 5, 9 pm
Readings:
There is no main textbook for this class. Weekly readings will be available as PDFs in Collab.
Podcasts for the class can be found here: http://12byzantinerulers.com/
Week 1 (January 12 & 14) Introduction – Lessons from the Roman Empire
Monday, Jan 12
http://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/15/take-me-back-to-constantinople/
Wednesday, Jan 14
S. Curcic, Architecture in the Balkans, pp. 43-59.
Podcast: Constantine –Part 1 .
__________________________________________________________________
Week 2: Constantinople: a city ready for war
Monday, Jan 19
NO CLASS
Wednesday, Jan 21
S. Turnbull, The walls of Constantinople AD 324-1454, pp. 4-24.
J. Freely- A. Cakman, Byzantine monuments of Istanbul, pp. 44-46, 49-55.
Podcast: Constantine –Part 2.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 3: Late Antique fortifications and warfare: from Theodosius to Justinian
Monday, Jan 26
J. Crow, ‘Fortifications and the Late Roman East’, pp. 397-432.
A. W. Lawrence, ‘A Skeletal History of Byzantine Fortifications’, pp. 171-188.
Podcast: Zeno.
Wednesday, Jan 28
A. W. Lawrence, ‘A Skeletal History of Byzantine Fortification’, pp. 188-200.
T. Gregory, ‘Procopius on Greece’, pp. 105-114.
Podcast: Justinian- Part 1 & 2 & 3.
Workshop Day: Build the best fortification
__________________________________________________________________
Week 4: The Early byzantine Emperors as victorious rulers
Monday, Feb 2
J. Elsner, ‘From the Culture of Spolia to the Cult of Relics: The Arch of Constantine and the Genesis of Late Antique Forms’, pp. 149-184.
S. Malmberg, ‘Triumphal arches and gate of piety at Constantinople, Ravenna and Rome’, pp. 150-189.
Wednesday, Feb 4
E. Cormack, Byzantine Art, Chapter 2.
H. Maguire, Earth and Ocean, Chapter VII.
Podcast: Heraclius
Workshop Day: Early byzantine coins- http://www.doaks.org/museum/online-exhibitions/byzantine-emperors-on-coins
__________________________________________________________________
Week 5: The rise of the Arabs and the Byzantine response
Monday, Feb 9
Museum of Byzantine Culture, Byzantium and the Arabs, pp. 18-27, 36-39, 56-59, 62-63.
J. Haldon, ‘Greek Fire’ revisited: recent and current research’, pp. 290-325.
Podcast-Irene
Wednesday, Feb 11
E. Ivison, ‘Amorium and the Byzantine Dark Ages’, pp. 25-55.
Podcast: Basil I
Workshop Day: A. Walmsley, ‘Economic Developments and the nature of settlement in the towns and countryside of Syria-Palestine, ca. 565-800’, pp. 319-352.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 6: From Basil to Alexios: Art of war and fortifications in the Middle Byzantine period
Monday, Feb 16
P. Stephenson, The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer, 49-65.
R. Nelson, “And so, with the help of God”: The Byzantine Art of War in the Tenth Century, pp. 169-192.
Podcast: Basil II
Wednesday, Feb 18
C. Foss and D. Winfield, Byzantine Fortifications: An Introduction, TBA.
J. Crow, ‘Alexios Komnenos and Kastamon: castles and settlements in Middle Byzantine Paphlagonia’, pp. 12-36.
N. Bakirtzis, ‘The practice, perception and experience of Byzantine
Fortification’,352-71.
Podcast: Alexius
Workshop Day: Fortification functions-viewsheds and line of sight.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 7: The rise of military saints and heavenly protection
Monday, Feb 23
C. Walter, The warrior saints in Byzantine Art and Tradition, pp. 261-290.
P. Grotowski, Arms and Armour of the warrior saints: Tradition and innovation in Byzantine Iconography (843–1261), pp. 98-124.
Wednesday, Feb 25
C. Angelidi and Titos Papamastorakis, ‘Picturing the spiritual protector: from Blachernitissa to Hodegetria’, pp. 209-223.
B. Pentcheva, Icons and Power: The Mother of God in Byzantium, pp. 61-108.
Workshop Day: Discussion on military saints and preparation for Paper #2
__________________________________________________________________
Week 8: Siege engines, military technologies and armies
Monday, March 2
M. Whitby, Siege machines in late antiquity: siege warfare and counter sieges tactics, pp. 433-460.
D. Nicolle, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): "Byzantium, the Islamic World & India AD 476-1526".
Wednesday, March 4
Ian Heath, Byzantine armies.
P. Chevedden, ‘The invention of the counterweight Trebuchet’, pp. 71-116.
Workshop Day: Build a siege engine!
__________________________________________________________________
Week 9
Spring break
__________________________________________________________________
Week 10: Representations of wars, victory and heroes
Monday, March 16
V. Tsamakda, The illustrated chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes in Madrid, pp TBA.
E. Boeck, ‘The politics of visualizing an imperial demise: transforming a Byzantine chronicle into a Sicilian visual narrative’, pp. 243-257.
Wednesday, March 18
C. Livanos, ‘A case study in Byzantine Dragon-Slaying: Digenes and the Serpent’, pp. 125-144.
H. Maguire, ‘Signs and symbols of your victorious reign: The political ideology and meaning of Falconry in Byzantium’, pp.135-146.
Workshop Day: Discussion and preparation of Paper #3.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 11: Diplomacy and cross cultural exchange
Monday, March 23
H. Evans, The Glory of Byzantium, pp. 403-433.
A. Walker, ‘Islamicising motif in Byzantine Lead Seals: Exoticing style and the Expression of Identity’, 385-409.
Wednesday, March 25
A. Walker, The Emperor and the world, Chapter 4.
E. R. Hoffman, ‘Pathways of Portability: Islamic and Christian interchange from the tenth to the twelfth century’, pp. 17-42.
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
__________________________________________________________________
Week 12: Warfare & society at the time of Crusades
Monday, March 30
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1097-1192.
A. Boas, Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, pp. 41-73.
Wednesday, April 1
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1192-1302.
J. Folda, Crusader art in the Holy Land, from the third Crusade to the fall of Acre, TBA.
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
Podcast: Isaac
__________________________________________________________________
Week 13: Late Byzantine fortifications
Monday, April 6
D. Athanasoulis, ‘The triangle of Power: Building projects in the Metropolitan area of the Crusader Principality of the Morea’, pp. 111-152.
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in Cyprus, Greece and the Aegean 1191-1571.
Wednesday, April 8
S. Curcic, Architecture in the Balkans, pp. 507- 532.
K. Andrews, Castles of the Morea, pp. 159-182.
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project.
__________________________________________________________________
Week 14: The siege and fall of Constantinople
Monday, April 13
M. Philippides and W. Hanak, The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Podcast: Constantine XI
Wednesday, April 15
D. Nicolle, Campaign- Constantinople 1453
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
__________________________________________________________________
Week 15 : Getting ready for the siege/final project week
Monday, April 20
Wednesday, April 22
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
__________________________________________________________________
Documentary screening: April 29.
Warfare & society in the Byzantine world
ARTH 3559- Warfare & society in the Byzantine world
Meets: MW 3:30-4:45
Instructor: Fotini Kondyli
Email: fk8u@virginia.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:30-5:30 pm
Office Location: Fayerweather Hall- Office no. 310
TA: Eric Hupe
TA’s office hours: 2:30-3:30
Office location: Fayerweather Hall-Visual resources collection
Course description:
In Game of Thrones the siege of King’s Landing is not entirely a product of Martin’s imagination but rather inspired by Byzantine warfare. In this course we will examine the socio-economic, and political history of Byzantine warfare (c. 400-1500) based on fortifications, weapons, and artistic representations of war. We will focus on the people engaged in warfare, on military technology, logistics, borders and the impact of religion on warfare.
Course aims: The aims of the course are to introduce students to the art of Byzantine warfare through military architecture, technology and art. The course also seeks to provide hands-on experiences for the students to help them understand how aspects of Byzantine war, such as fortifications and siege machines really worked. Another aim is to explore Byzantine warfare beyond violence and conflict and explore exchange of ideas and technologies even beyond the enemy lines, concepts of the “other” and religious and social belief systems. Finally the assignments in this course are varied and allow the students to explore the main themes of course, pose questions and develop their ideas through a range of media, such as papers, blogs and documentaries.
Requirements: No previous knowledge on Byzantine material culture is required. Students are responsible for doing the assigned reading before class and hand in their assignments on time. All students are expected to follow the University Honor Code: http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/shorthistory/code.html.
Classroom decorum: Please maintain an appropriate decorum in class. Please ensure that your cell phone/pda/ipod/etc is turned off and silenced. If you use your laptop during class, please make sure you use it for class related purposes (i.e. note taking) and not for web surfing or social media. Please do not consume food prodigiously or noisily during class and please clean up after yourself when you leave the classroom.
Violence-free campus: As a faculty member I support a safe and violence-free campus. As your professor and as a person know that I care about you and your well-being and stand ready to provide support and resources as I can.
Evaluation scheme:
Short papers: 30% of the final grade (10% for each paper)
Participation: 20% of the final grade
Blog: 10% of the final grade
Final project: 40% of the final grade
Grading scheme:
A: 94-100 C+: 77-79 D-:60-62
A- : 90-93 C: 73-76 F:0-59
B+: 87-89 C-:70-72
B: 83-86 D+:67-69
B-: 80-82 D: 63-66
Assignments:
Short papers: Each paper should not exceed 1500 words and should be uploaded on Collab. Papers should have appropriate citations and be accompanied by appropriate bibliography at the end. Images should be included and appropriately cited. For appropriate citation format look here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.
Short Paper #1: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 4 on early byzantine fortifications. Based on the discussions during the workshop day, describe and discuss your ideal fortification. For a complete paper you should describe individual defense features and the real fortifications that inspired your choices. You will also need to justify your decisions and explain why this particular combination of defensive architectural features is ideal. Paper is due: February 6, 9pm.
Short Paper #2: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 7 on military saints. Based on the discussions during the workshop day, discuss the evolution and artistic representation of military saints. You may choose to compare and contrast the artistic representations of two saints or discuss the changes in the artistic representation of one saint from the Early to Late Byzantine period (4th c-15th c). Paper is due: March 6, 9pm.
Short Paper #3: This paper will be based on the discussions of Week 10 on the illuminated manuscript of Skylitzes. Based on the discussions on the workshop day, discuss artistic representations of war, war tactics, concepts of victory or depictions of enemies in the Byzantine manuscript of Skylitzes. Paper is due: March 27, 9pm.
Participation: Participation in class activities and discussion are expected both during the lectures and workshops. You will be graded based on the degree of you participation. Discussions and mini-presentations on the podcasts also count towards your participation grade.
Blog: This course will use a UVA blog as a platform of communication between the students of the class as well as with the UVA community. The blog is also meant as an engaging way for students to develop their writing skills and experience how their writing can be powerful, interesting to others and influential. At the end of each class, one student will be responsible for writing a blog related to the day’s topic. Specific topics will be agreed with me at the end of each class. Student blogging about themes touched upon Monday’s class should post their blogs by Tuesdays 9 pm. Students blogging about themes touched upon Wednesday’s class should post their blogs by Thursdays 9 pm. Blog posts should not exceed 700 words. All students are expected to read fellow students’ posts and contribute weekly with comments. In order to get a full grade on your blog activity you must have 2 posts by the end of classes (April 27) and comment on others’ blog posts at least once each week.
Final project: The final project for the class will be a documentary, recreating the siege and fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. This will be a group project for the entire class but with distinct roles for each student.. Small teams of students will work on collecting information and creating 3D replicas of Constantinople’s defensive elements such as walls, gates and towers. Others will be working on offensive siege machines and cannons, and others on weapons and armor for the Byzantine, Genoese, Venetian and Ottoman army and finally on the navy and boats. Towards the end of the semester all groups will work together in writing the script and shooting the documentary. Together with the documentary, each student will submit a paper (max 1500 words) describing in detail their individual work and contribution to the documentary. Documentary screening is planned for April 29.
Extra credit activities: There will be two extra credit activities that can allow you to boost and increase your final grade. These are not obligatory assignments but they are fun and can make a difference in your overall grade.
On Week 6 we will organize a videogame event and play Assassins’ Creed, paying attention to the architectural features of the Constantinople, particularly defensive walls, war and victory monuments, fighting techniques, weapons. You will then write a small paper (1000 words max.) discussing how the graphics of game compare with our understanding of Constantinople, its monuments and Byzantine warfare. Paper due: February 20, 9 pm
On Week 12 we will be organizing a pizza and movie night to watch Kingdom of Heaven and think about the Crusades and the siege of Jerusalem. You will be writing a paper (1500 words max.) commenting on the film’s depictions of the fortifications and siege techniques in relation to what we have been discussing in class on Crusader warfare. Paper due: April 5, 9 pm
Readings:
There is no main textbook for this class. Weekly readings will be available as PDFs in Collab.
Podcasts for the class can be found here: http://12byzantinerulers.com/
Week 1 (January 12 & 14) Introduction – Lessons from the Roman Empire
Monday, Jan 12
http://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/15/take-me-back-to-constantinople/
Wednesday, Jan 14
S. Curcic, Architecture in the Balkans, pp. 43-59.
Podcast: Constantine –Part 1 .
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Week 2: Constantinople: a city ready for war
Monday, Jan 19
NO CLASS
Wednesday, Jan 21
S. Turnbull, The walls of Constantinople AD 324-1454, pp. 4-24.
J. Freely- A. Cakman, Byzantine monuments of Istanbul, pp. 44-46, 49-55.
Podcast: Constantine –Part 2.
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Week 3: Late Antique fortifications and warfare: from Theodosius to Justinian
Monday, Jan 26
J. Crow, ‘Fortifications and the Late Roman East’, pp. 397-432.
A. W. Lawrence, ‘A Skeletal History of Byzantine Fortifications’, pp. 171-188.
Podcast: Zeno.
Wednesday, Jan 28
A. W. Lawrence, ‘A Skeletal History of Byzantine Fortification’, pp. 188-200.
T. Gregory, ‘Procopius on Greece’, pp. 105-114.
Podcast: Justinian- Part 1 & 2 & 3.
Workshop Day: Build the best fortification
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Week 4: The Early byzantine Emperors as victorious rulers
Monday, Feb 2
J. Elsner, ‘From the Culture of Spolia to the Cult of Relics: The Arch of Constantine and the Genesis of Late Antique Forms’, pp. 149-184.
S. Malmberg, ‘Triumphal arches and gate of piety at Constantinople, Ravenna and Rome’, pp. 150-189.
Wednesday, Feb 4
E. Cormack, Byzantine Art, Chapter 2.
H. Maguire, Earth and Ocean, Chapter VII.
Podcast: Heraclius
Workshop Day: Early byzantine coins- http://www.doaks.org/museum/online-exhibitions/byzantine-emperors-on-coins
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Week 5: The rise of the Arabs and the Byzantine response
Monday, Feb 9
Museum of Byzantine Culture, Byzantium and the Arabs, pp. 18-27, 36-39, 56-59, 62-63.
J. Haldon, ‘Greek Fire’ revisited: recent and current research’, pp. 290-325.
Podcast-Irene
Wednesday, Feb 11
E. Ivison, ‘Amorium and the Byzantine Dark Ages’, pp. 25-55.
Podcast: Basil I
Workshop Day: A. Walmsley, ‘Economic Developments and the nature of settlement in the towns and countryside of Syria-Palestine, ca. 565-800’, pp. 319-352.
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Week 6: From Basil to Alexios: Art of war and fortifications in the Middle Byzantine period
Monday, Feb 16
P. Stephenson, The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer, 49-65.
R. Nelson, “And so, with the help of God”: The Byzantine Art of War in the Tenth Century, pp. 169-192.
Podcast: Basil II
Wednesday, Feb 18
C. Foss and D. Winfield, Byzantine Fortifications: An Introduction, TBA.
J. Crow, ‘Alexios Komnenos and Kastamon: castles and settlements in Middle Byzantine Paphlagonia’, pp. 12-36.
N. Bakirtzis, ‘The practice, perception and experience of Byzantine
Fortification’,352-71.
Podcast: Alexius
Workshop Day: Fortification functions-viewsheds and line of sight.
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Week 7: The rise of military saints and heavenly protection
Monday, Feb 23
C. Walter, The warrior saints in Byzantine Art and Tradition, pp. 261-290.
P. Grotowski, Arms and Armour of the warrior saints: Tradition and innovation in Byzantine Iconography (843–1261), pp. 98-124.
Wednesday, Feb 25
C. Angelidi and Titos Papamastorakis, ‘Picturing the spiritual protector: from Blachernitissa to Hodegetria’, pp. 209-223.
B. Pentcheva, Icons and Power: The Mother of God in Byzantium, pp. 61-108.
Workshop Day: Discussion on military saints and preparation for Paper #2
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Week 8: Siege engines, military technologies and armies
Monday, March 2
M. Whitby, Siege machines in late antiquity: siege warfare and counter sieges tactics, pp. 433-460.
D. Nicolle, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): "Byzantium, the Islamic World & India AD 476-1526".
Wednesday, March 4
Ian Heath, Byzantine armies.
P. Chevedden, ‘The invention of the counterweight Trebuchet’, pp. 71-116.
Workshop Day: Build a siege engine!
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Week 9
Spring break
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Week 10: Representations of wars, victory and heroes
Monday, March 16
V. Tsamakda, The illustrated chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes in Madrid, pp TBA.
E. Boeck, ‘The politics of visualizing an imperial demise: transforming a Byzantine chronicle into a Sicilian visual narrative’, pp. 243-257.
Wednesday, March 18
C. Livanos, ‘A case study in Byzantine Dragon-Slaying: Digenes and the Serpent’, pp. 125-144.
H. Maguire, ‘Signs and symbols of your victorious reign: The political ideology and meaning of Falconry in Byzantium’, pp.135-146.
Workshop Day: Discussion and preparation of Paper #3.
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Week 11: Diplomacy and cross cultural exchange
Monday, March 23
H. Evans, The Glory of Byzantium, pp. 403-433.
A. Walker, ‘Islamicising motif in Byzantine Lead Seals: Exoticing style and the Expression of Identity’, 385-409.
Wednesday, March 25
A. Walker, The Emperor and the world, Chapter 4.
E. R. Hoffman, ‘Pathways of Portability: Islamic and Christian interchange from the tenth to the twelfth century’, pp. 17-42.
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
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Week 12: Warfare & society at the time of Crusades
Monday, March 30
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1097-1192.
A. Boas, Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, pp. 41-73.
Wednesday, April 1
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1192-1302.
J. Folda, Crusader art in the Holy Land, from the third Crusade to the fall of Acre, TBA.
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
Podcast: Isaac
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Week 13: Late Byzantine fortifications
Monday, April 6
D. Athanasoulis, ‘The triangle of Power: Building projects in the Metropolitan area of the Crusader Principality of the Morea’, pp. 111-152.
D. Nicolle, Crusader Castles in Cyprus, Greece and the Aegean 1191-1571.
Wednesday, April 8
S. Curcic, Architecture in the Balkans, pp. 507- 532.
K. Andrews, Castles of the Morea, pp. 159-182.
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project.
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Week 14: The siege and fall of Constantinople
Monday, April 13
M. Philippides and W. Hanak, The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Podcast: Constantine XI
Wednesday, April 15
D. Nicolle, Campaign- Constantinople 1453
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
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Week 15 : Getting ready for the siege/final project week
Monday, April 20
Wednesday, April 22
Workshop Day: Preparation for final project
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Documentary screening: April 29.