Workshop: Sources for the History of Late Antique Eastern Christianity
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The workshop aims to provide a general overview of the principal sources for the study of Eastern Christianity (Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Arabia) within the context of Late Antiquity. Alongside the examination of primary sources, the course will introduce the main methodological approaches employed in the historical and religious study of the Late Imperial period, with particular emphasis on comparative perspectives. A portion of the workshop will also be devoted to bibliographical orientation, with the objective of fostering research skills and the critical engagement with secondary literature.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the workshop, students will have acquired knowledge of the main types of sources related to the history of Eastern Christianities in Late Antiquity, as well as the principal tools of scholarly research. Students will be able to engage with various types of evidence (literary, documentary, archaeological, and legal), use specialised terminology appropriately, and navigate the relevant body of secondary literature. These skills will be developed through direct and continuous interaction with the teacher in the classroom. Critical discussion of selected sources will serve both as a moment of methodological reflection and as an opportunity to deepen bibliographic knowledge. Individual work will also play a key role, with student presentations assigned by the teacher and subsequently discussed collectively.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Giudizio di approvazione
Assessment result: superato/non superato
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The workshop aims to provide students with the basic tools to carry out research in the field of Late Antique Eastern Christianity (4th-8th century), with the goal of enabling them to independently identify, analyze, and interpret relevant sources. Particular attention will be devoted to the analysis and contextualization of textual sources (for example, theological, heresiological, legal, and conciliar texts) produced in the eastern regions of the Roman and post-Roman Empire, up to the end of the Umayyad Caliphate. The course will examine the authors and recipients of the texts, the vocabulary employed, and the historical, religious, and cultural contexts in which these texts were written and received. Each research project will include the collection and discussion of the most relevant bibliography and scholarship on the chosen topic.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements different from those requested for the degree admission.
In order to apply for admission to the laboratory, which has limited enrollment, it is mandatory to follow the instructions outlined on the 'Laboratori' page of the History degree course website: https://storia.cdl.unimi.it/it/insegnamenti/laboratori
In order to apply for admission to the laboratory, which has limited enrollment, it is mandatory to follow the instructions outlined on the 'Laboratori' page of the History degree course website: https://storia.cdl.unimi.it/it/insegnamenti/laboratori
Teaching methods
The workshop consists of seminar lectures in which the sources (theological, heresiological, canonical, etc.) and the main issues related to their interpretation will be presented and discussed collectively. This will be followed by an in-depth analysis of the texts using the specific tools of the discipline. Furthermore, students will examine the relevant historiography and carry out bibliographical research aimed at contextualizing the production and reception of the documents under study.
Teaching Resources
Materials will be provided progressively throughout the course, discussed in class, and, in many cases, assigned in advance to prepare for the following session (including articles, sources, and book chapters). As introductory references, the following are recommended:
- P. Brown, The World in Late Antiquity, New York 1971, especially Part Two, Sections II («Byzantium») and III («The New Participants»);
- A. Camplani, Capitolo 5. Alla periferia dell'Impero romano e oltre: i caratteri comuni dei cristianesimi orientali, in E. Prinzivalli (a cura di), Storia del Cristianesimo, vol. 1, L'età antica, Roma 2023 (ed. or. Roma 2015).
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
- P. Brown, The World in Late Antiquity, New York 1971, especially Part Two, Sections II («Byzantium») and III («The New Participants»);
- A. Camplani, Capitolo 5. Alla periferia dell'Impero romano e oltre: i caratteri comuni dei cristianesimi orientali, in E. Prinzivalli (a cura di), Storia del Cristianesimo, vol. 1, L'età antica, Roma 2023 (ed. or. Roma 2015).
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Throughout the workshop, there will be assessment moments aimed at evaluating students' understanding of the methodology and their ability to apply it in practice. In particular, students will be asked to produce short analyses of selected sources, which will then be discussed and collectively commented on in class. Attention will be given not only to content, but also to the ability to argue, contextualize, and employ the critical tools presented during the course.
Active and regular participation in the workshop activities is a necessary condition for the awarding of the 3 ECTS credits.
Active and regular participation in the workshop activities is a necessary condition for the awarding of the 3 ECTS credits.
Professor(s)