Library Guides: Byzantine Studies: Background Information

Overview of Byzantine Studies

Byzantine Studies at Notre Dame is a research-oriented field of inquiry devoted to the interdisciplinary study of the history and legacy of the Byzantine Empire (324–1453). It investigates the long-lived and influential Byzantine Empire, whose territory stood between the Islamic Middle East and Catholic Europe. As the Greek continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, its story spans the period from the ancient world to the early modern era.

Related subjects include: Classics and Medieval Studies.

Core Resources

These resources are core to the Byzantine Studies.

Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks
The Byzantine Studies program at Dumbarton Oaks, since its establishment in 1940, has supported a continuous program of residential fellowships and academic events to enable historical, philological, art historical, archaeological and theological research into the civilization of the Byzantine Empire from the fourth to the fifteenth century, together with its interactions with neighboring cultures.

Byzantinische Bibliographie Online This link opens in a new window
The Bibliography appears in printed form twice annually in the Byzantinische Zeitschrift, the renowned German-language professional journal for Byzantine studies. Twice a year, new entries from the Byzantinische Zeitschrift are added to the database. The user interface offers easy access to the bibliographic data as well as many options for researching information based on various search criteria. The entries are organized systematically by subject area and enriched by short discussions and references to relevant review articles. The database is thus a unique and indispensable aid for Byzantinists, historians, medievalists, theologists, and Hellenists.

Byzantinische Zeitschrift by Karl Krumbacher
Publication Date: 1892
The Byzantinische Zeitschrift is the leading journal in the field of Byzantine Studies. It publishes articles and reviews on all aspects of Byzantine literature, history, society, and culture. Each issue of the journal contains a large bibliographic section. This so-called III. Abteilung serves as the standard bibliography in Byzantine Studies.

Modern Language Translations of Byzantine Sources
Database of modern language translations of Byzantine primary sources, which can be searched by keyword or browsed using pull-down menus.

Oxford dictionary of Byzantium This link opens in a new window
Contains searchable entries covering all aspects of Byzantine history and civilization from the 4th through the 15th centuries, with special depth in subjects such as bureaucratic titles and fiscal terms, urban life, and rural economy.

Patrologia Graeca by J. P. Migne
Publication Date: 1857-92
Greek texts relevant to the history of the Christian Church from its beginnings through the Council of Florence in 1439.

TLG, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae This link opens in a new window
Contains virtually all ancient Greek texts surviving from the period between Homer (8th century B.C.) and A.D. 600, and a large number of texts deriving from the period between A.D. 600 and 1453. Topics include Greek literature, history, and culture.

NOTE:Users who want to access the full corpus of TLG need to create an additional user account. If you go to the main TLG landing page, look for the Full Corpus link at the top of the page (between the About link and the TLG Canon link) to create an account or log in.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Dictionaries are most often collections of words in one or more specific languages, usually arranged in alphabetical order, providing information like word meanings, usage, etymology, and, when they contain more than one language, translations. Some dictionaries include information more commonly found in encyclopedias.

Abbreviationes This link opens in a new window
An electronic dictionary of medieval Latin abbreviations. Note: This resource may require the ATimes.ttf font.
New Pauly online This link opens in a new window
English version of an important German encyclopedia of the ancient world. Divided into 2 sections: Antiquity, which covers the ancient world of Greece and Rome, and the Classical Tradition, which covers the history of classical scholarship. Also available in German.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law
This Dictionary: explains technical Roman legal terms, translates & elucidate those Latin words which have a specific connotation when used in a juristic context or in connection with a legal institution or question, & provides a brief picture of Roman legal institutions & sources as a sort of an introduction to them. The objectives of the work, not the juristic character of available Latin writings, therefore, determined the inclusion or exclusion of any single word or phrase.

Encyclopedia of the Ancient World by Shona Grimbly (Editor)
ISBN: 1579582818
Publication Date: 2000-08-01
The Encyclopedia of the Ancient World is a colourful and lively examination of some of the most important civilizations that have shaped our world. Each entry concentrates on a particular civilization, or series of civilizations, and combines its history with an explanation of who the people were and how they lived. An examination of retrospective belief systems and myths is also included. Reflecting the latest developments in archaeology and biogeography, the Encyclopedia of the Ancient World explains how the ancient civilizations developed, and how they came to dominate their neighbours, how they evolved, and why they ecentually declined or died out.

Epitome of the Kriaras Dictionary
In its print form, the Dictionary of Medieval Vulgar Greek Literature has for many years been a valuable tool for students of Medieval Greek literature. However, the bulk and nature of such a work limited both its use and accessibility to university libraries and research centers.

Greek Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods (from B.C. 146 to A.D. 1100) by Sophocles, E.A.
Publication Date: 1887
Volume 1 of Greek Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods, Evangelinus Apostolides Sophocles.
Lexiko tes mesaionikes hellenikes demodous grammateias by Emmanuel Kriaras
Publication Date: 1100-1669
A Dictionary of Medieval Popular Greek Language, 1100-1669.

Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität
The LBG is the foremost lexicographical resource in Byzantine Studies mainly covering the period from the 4th to the 15th century A.D. taken from more than 3,000 texts. Seven fascicles have appeared to date, with one more scheduled to appear in 2016. When completed the dictionary will consist of more than 2,000 printed pages, containing approx. 80,000 lemmata.
Loeb Classical Library

Oxford classical dictionary This link opens in a new window
In its digital form, the new OCD is a continuously updated and ever-expanding resource that will ensure scholarship remains current and reflective of emerging subfields and perspectives. New and revised articles written by leading international authors will appear on a rolling basis. The OCD also incorporates intuitive search and browse features and multimedia, including images, links, and audiovisual clips that complement textual content and connect readers to innovative digital materials that have become integral to the field.

Oxford companion to classical civilization
The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization provides an authoritative survey of the Greek and Roman worlds in all their aspects. Drawing on the latest edition of the highly praised Oxford Classical Dictionary, the Companion offers articles on diverse fields such as, history and politics; ethics and morals; law and punishment; social and family life; language, literature, and art; religion and mythology; technology, science, and medicine.
Oxford companion to classical literature
The third edition of The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature is the complete and authoritative reference guide to the classical world and its literary heritage. It not only presents the reader with all the essential facts about the authors, tales, and characters from ancient myth and literature, but it also places these details in the wider contexts of the history and society of the Greek and Roman worlds.

Oxford dictionary of Byzantium This link opens in a new window
Contains searchable entries covering all aspects of Byzantine history and civilization from the 4th through the 15th centuries, with special depth in subjects such as bureaucratic titles and fiscal terms, urban life, and rural economy.

Oxford dictionary of the classical world
Spanning almost one thousand years, from the first Olympic Games in 776 BC to the death of Marcus Aurelius in AD 180, this accessible and wide-ranging reference work draws on the groundbreaking Oxford Classical Dictionary to present more than 2,500 entries on the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. The dictionary covers key aspects of ancient Greek and Roman life and literature, such as science, social structure, philosophy, and religion, and contains comprehensive articles on central figures, both real and mythological, from Achilles to Zeno.

Oxford scholarship online This link opens in a new window
Provides access to thousands of books across the world-renowned scholarly list of Oxford University Press (OUP), covering subjects across the humanities, social sciences, sciences, medicine, and law.

Patristic Greek Lexicon by G. W. Lampe (Editor)
ISBN: 0198642121
Publication Date: 1969-05-15
This dictionary is one of the most comprehensive works ever compiled on the theological and ecclesiastical vocabulary of the Greek Christian authors, including material from Clement of Rome to Theodore of Studium. While intended to be used in conjunction with Liddell Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon, it contains a very large number of words used by Christian authors not included in Liddell Scott-Jones.

Suda On Line
Pope’s ‘Suidas’ is not a man but a work, The Suda (or Stronghold): a massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, covering the whole of Greek and Roman antiquity and also including Biblical and Christian material. Preserved in several medieval manuscripts, it has been edited and published several times since the end of the 14th century in traditional hard-copy scholarly editions, most recently that of Ada Adler (Teubner, 5 volumes: 1928-1938, reprinted 1971).

Suidae lexicon by Ada Adler
Publication Date: 1928-38

Guides, Handbooks & Finding Aids

Reference resources like Handbooks, Guides, and Manuals provide subject-specific, sometimes technical information to aid in understanding important aspects of the discipline or subject that they treat. Finding Aids are useful for finding information within libraries, archives, or specific collections.

Brill's companions in classical studies online I This link opens in a new window
Handbooks providing graduate-level synthesis of debate and the state of scholarship on key authors and subjects from Antiquity. Each volume contains an up-to-date general bibliography.
Brill's companions in classical studies online II This link opens in a new window
Handbooks providing graduate-level synthesis of debate and the state of scholarship on key authors and subjects from Antiquity. Each volume contains an up-to-date general bibliography.
Oxford handbooks online. Classical studies This link opens in a new window
Brings together the world's leading scholars to write review essays that evaluate the current thinking on a field or topic, and make an original argument about the future direction of the debate. Articles review the key issues, reveal original arguments and concepts, and set the agenda for new research.

Maps and Atlases

Maps, and atlases (collections of maps) describe in visual form the geographic, political, cultural and other boundaries of spaces such as earth and various regions. These useful tools feature geopolitical, social, religious and economic statistics and other useful information about the map and places in it.

Ancient World Mapping Center
Since its foundation, AWMC has been engaged in the creation of map content for use both in scholarly publication and in the classroom. As the technology that drives mapmaking continues to advance, AWMC now creates maps using means much different than those of a decade ago. The latest mapmaking application aimed at developing maps for classroom use is the Antiquity À-la-carte application that allows the user to create their own maps. AWMC encourages educators and all others interested in mapmaking to become part of the À-la-carte community.

Constantinople byzantine : développement urbain et répertoire topographique by R. Janin
Publication Date: 1964

Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilization (DARMC)
The Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilizations (DARMC) makes freely available on the internet the best available materials for a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach to mapping and spatial analysis of the Roman and medieval worlds. DARMC allows innovative spatial and temporal analyses of all aspects of the civilizations of western Eurasia in the first 1500 years of our era, as well as the generation of original maps illustrating differing aspects of ancient and medieval civilization.

La Géographie ecclésiastique de l'Empire byzantin by R. Janin
Publication Date: 1958-1981
1. Ptie. Le Siège de Constantinople et le patriarcat oecuménique. T. 3. Les Églises et les monastères.
Hellas und Thessalia by Johannes Koder; Friedrich Hild
ISBN: 3700101821
Publication Date: 1976-12-31
Topographical maps accompanied by text volumes of Byzantine regions.

Historical Atlas of the Ancient World
This new atlas of the ancient world illustrates the political, economic, social and cultural developments in the ancient Near East, the Mediterranean world, the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world and the Holy Roman Empire from the 3rd millennium BC until the 15th century AD.

The Palgrave Atlas of Byzantine History by John F. Haldon; John Haldon
ISBN: 1403917728
Publication Date: 2005-12-10
The dominant Mediterranean power in the fifth and sixth centuries, by the time of its demise at the hands of the Ottomans in 1453 the Byzantine empire was a shadow of its former self restricted essentially to the city of Constantinople, modern Istanbul. Surrounded by foes who posed a constant threat to its very existence, it survived because of its administration, army and the strength of its culture, of which Orthodox Christianity was a key element. This historical atlas charts key aspects of the political, social and economic history of a medieval empire which bridged the Christian and Islamic worlds from the late Roman period into the late Middle Ages.

Byzantine Studies

Curator, Ancient and Medieval Manuscripts

Overview of Byzantine Studies

Other Related Guides

Core Resources

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Guides, Handbooks & Finding Aids

Maps and Atlases