James Madison University
Libraries and Educational Technologies

History

Byzantine Empire

Liaison Librarian for History and Political Science

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The Byzantine Empire existed for over 1,000 years, from the early 4th century, when Constantine established the seat of the Roman Empire at Byzantium, to 1453, when the Empire fell to the Ottoman Turks. This guide includes resources that will aid in the study of the history of Byzantium, broadly defined, including cultural, political, and religious topics.

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Table of Contents

Finding Books	Published Primary Sources
Background and Overview	Atlases
Bibliographies/Guides	Websites

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Finding Books

 

Use LEO to search for books and media in the JMU libraries; use WorldCat (online in Research Databases & Resources) to extend your search beyond JMU, to find books, media, and other sources that you may be able to borrow through Interlibrary Loan.

The following subject headings are examples useful in searching LEO, or any catalog that uses Library of Congress classification. When you do a keyword search and find a book that looks appropriate to your research, look at the subject words on the catalog record to find other subject words and headings to use in continuing your search.

Architecture, Byzantine	Orthodox Eastern Church -- History
Councils and synods, Ecumenical	Byzantine Empire -- Church history
Painting, Byzantine	Rome -- History -- Empire, 284-476

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Background and Overview

The following resources will furnish an overview of a topic and can be helpful in defining a research question or clarifying a point of confusion. Many have useful bibliographies.

The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. 3 vol.
(Ref DF 521 O93 1991).

The best English-language encyclopedia on the Byzantine Empire. A survey of the Byzantine world, with entries often covering unexpected topics (e.g., blood, crown, beverages). Short bibliographies.

Rosser, John H. Historical Dictionary of Byzantium. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2001.
(Ref DF552 R67 2001).

Brief entries with maps and illustrations, arranged alphabetically. A bibliography completes the work.

The Cambridge Medieval History. 2nd ed. 8 vol. in 10.
(Ref D117 .C32).

Volume 4 covers the Byzantine Empire. Extensive, though dated (up to 1960s) bibliographies.

The New Cambridge Medieval History. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1995- .
(Ref D 117 .C32 1995).

A complete reworking of the Cambridge History mentioned above. Treatment is chronological, with essays on Byzantium sprinkled throughout.

Dictionary of the Middle Ages. 13 vols.
(Ref D114 D5 1982)

Richly illustrated, scholarly, with good bibliographies.

 

Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World.
(Ref DE5 .N4813 2002.

A work in progress, this is the English tranlation of an authoritative German work, covering the period from the 2nd millenium BC to the formation of early modern Europe (AD 600 to 800). Eight volumes are published to date, covering alphabetical entries for A through Mine. Scholarly bibliographies

The Dictionary of Art. New York: Grove, 1996. 34 vol.
(Online in Research Databases as Grove Art Online; in print, Ref N 31 D5 1996).

The standard encyclopedia of art. Online version links to the Bridgeman database, containing 30,000 images.

The Encyclopedia of Religion. 15 vols.
(Ref BL31 .E46 2005).

Excellent source for the religious background of the Byzantine Empire.

The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University, 1976.
(Ref DE59 P7).

Sites within the Byzantine Empire are included. Scholarly.

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Bibliographies/Guides

Bibliographies and guides may be useful in locating additional sources on your topic.

Allen, Jelisaveta S. Literature on Byzantine Art, 1892-1967 . [London]: Published [by] Mansell for the Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, Washington, D.C.: 1973-1976. 2 vol. in 3.
(Ref N 6250 L58).

Comprehensive annotated bibliography in all languages in which the research was done. This bibliography is based on the periodical Byzantinische Zeitschrift, with annotations in German.

Lambrino, Scarlat. Bibliographies de l'Antiquite Classique, 1896-1914 . Paris: Societe d'Edition "Les Belles Lettres," 1951- .
(Microfiche).

 

Marouzeau, Jules. Dix Annees de Bibliographies Classique; Bibliographie Critique et Analytique de l'Antiquite Greco-Latine pour la Periode 1914-1924 . New York: Burt Franklin [1969]. 2 vol.
(PA 3001 M35 1969).

Also available on microfiche in Microforms Room.

Norton, Mary B. The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature . 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University, 1995. 2 vol.
(Ref D 20 A55 1995).

The leading history bibliography. Byzantine studies are included.

Paetow, Louis J. A Guide to the Study of Medieval History . Rev. ed. New York: Kraus Reprint, 1959, 1931.
(Ref D 113 P19 1959).

Scholarly guide that includes a discussion of the Byzantine Empire. Dated.

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Published Primary Sources

One strategy for finding primary sources in LEO is to do a keyword search using subject words with the term, "sources." For example, a Word search in LEO for Byzantine and history and sources will return, among other titles, the first two items listed below.

Barker, Ernest. Social and Political Thought in Byzantium, from Justinian I to the Last Palaeologus; Passages from Byzantine Writers and Documents. Oxford: Clarendon, 1957.
(JC93 B3).

The documents have brief introductions. Chronological table.

Byzantium: Church, Society, and Civilization Seen Through Contemporary Eyes. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1984.
(DF503 B983 1984).

Topical arrangement. Appendices include maps and a list of emperors.

Schaff, Philip and Henry Wace, eds. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Second Series. 14 vols. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969-73.
(BR60 .S4 1968) also freely available online at http://www.ccel.org/fathers.html

Survey of Translations of Byzantine Saints' Lives
(Online)

Full texts of saints' lives are not included; however, this survey is a finding aid for Byzantine saints' lives translated into modern European languages.

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Atlases

Talbert, Richard J. A., ed. Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 2000.
(Ref G 1033 .B3 2000 with two supplements)

A scholarly and beautifully produced atlas. The supplements provide a map-by-map directory with and introduction to each map, key information on each place name, including the period it is associated with, its modern name, and bibliography for each location.

The Times Atlas of World History. 4th ed. Maplewood, N.J.: Hammond, 1993.
(Ref G1030 T54 1993).

The leading modern historical atlas.

Westermann, Georg, Firm, Publishers. Westermanns Grosser Atlas zur Weltgeschichte: Vorzeit, Altertum, Mittelalter, Neuzeit. Braunschweig., Westermanns, [1965].
(G1035 W4 1965).

Useful for its detail including a map of Constantinople.

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Websites

Byzantine and Medieval Studies Sites

A major site with links to many Byzantine research sources.

Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies

This institution, located in Washington, D.C., contains a major research library and museum collection.  The website has digitized editions of publications and other research tools.

Byzantium: Byzantine Studies on the Internet

A major site with links to many sources on Byzantine research.

 

Have a suggestion? Need Help? Ask Patricia Hardesty -- hardespn@jmu.edu
This page last reviewed by P. Hardesty on 1/9/2009.