Projektbeschreibung
Die spätantiken Gesetzestexte verstehen
Spätantike Gesetzestexte (fachsprachlich „Konstitutionen“) sind in einer komplizierten, durchkomponierten Kunstprosa verfasst, die ihren juristischen Kern im Dickicht eines weitschweifigen Textes verbirgt. In einer Welt ohne Fernsehen oder Zeitungen stellten die frisch eingetroffenen Gesetzestexte wohl die wichtigste Verbindung zur Außenwelt dar. Es wäre zu erwarten, dass ihre umfangreichen Einleitungen propagandistische Zwecke verfolgten, was jedoch nicht der Fall ist: Mehrere Kaiser bevorzugten einen offenen Ansatz. Sie gaben zu, dass tatsächlich Barbarenangriffe zu befürchten oder frühere Gesetze falsch waren. Das EU-finanzierte ERC-Projekt AntCoCo wird diese Konstitutionen aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln untersuchen. Die Texte werden nun von Fachleuten der Gebiete Sprachwissenschaft, Geschichtswissenschaft und Rechtsgeschichte genauer unter die Lupe genommen. Die moderne Kommunikationstheorie wird die methodischen Mittel liefern, damit die kommunikative Funktion der Texte verständlich wird.
Ziel
The genre of late antique law texts, “constitutions”, appears puzzling to the modern observer: contrary to our expectations of clarity and brevity, they are astoundingly voluminous, hiding away the actual legal core—which can be quite short—in a lengthy and elaborate text. They are composed in an accomplished style, and we actually know that their authorship was entrusted to some of the best contemporary literati. Thanks to a sophisticated system of transmission, these texts would reach each and every town in the area of their intended diffusion. Eagerly attended public readings as well as postings at well-frequented places (sometimes permanently as inscriptions) ensured that vast portions of the population would come to know their contents.
These texts’ importance in Late Antiquity contrasts starkly with the current state of research. Nobody has investigated the full imperial constitutions as prime examples of late antique Kunstprosa, nor has much effort been put into appreciating the various subjects raised in their complex introductions. Their communicative role, spanning huge geographic as well as social distances from the very center of power to the remotest corners of the vast empire, has been tentatively interpreted by some scholars as “propaganda”, a simplistic explanation which fails to convince. Clearly, these extraordinary texts are in dire need of reassessment.
This project has a twofold purpose: first, on the basis of the evidence from the full constitutions, it will yield the methodically most sophisticated study of top-down communication in Late Antiquity, embracing important conclusions and methods of modern communication theory. Second, in order to obtain reliable results, the full constitutions must be collected, sorted, verified, emended, and published anew. Both the resulting collection itself as well as the completely novel methodology employed to ensure its soundness will have a major impact on other research in Classics, Law, and beyond.
Wissenschaftliches Gebiet
Programm/Programme
Thema/Themen
Finanzierungsplan
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantGastgebende Einrichtung
96047 Bamberg
Deutschland