HIST 308 History of Byzantium and the Creation of the Orthodox World
The medieval Byzantine Empire was heir to a myriad of great traditions in world history: the politics of Rome, the religion of ancient Christianity, and the philosophy of classical Greece. This course explores the politics, culture, and religion of Byzantium from Constantine's Christianization of the Roman Empire in the 4th century to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in the 15th. Along the way we will see the Byzantines do battle with Muslim armies, convert the Russians to Christianity, and cultivate a flourishing and distinctive artistic tradition. Students will become familiar with the internal workings of Byzantine society through both primary and secondary source readings.