Workshop: Sources for the History of Late Antique Eastern Christianity

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.

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.