State functionaries in Byzantium: a social and cultural study (7th-9th c.)

Project Information

SCIBOS

Grant agreement ID: 101109500

DOI

10.3030/101109500

EC signature date 4 May 2023

Start date 1 September 2024

End date 31 August 2026

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 195 914,88

Coordinated by

SORBONNE UNIVERSITE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SCIBOS (State functionaries in Byzantium: a social and cultural study (7th-9th c.))

Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2026-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The SCIBOS project (“State functionaries in Byzantium: a social and cultural study, 7th–9th c.”) aimed to investigate the career patterns, social status, mobility, networks and cultural identity of Byzantine officials through the systematic study of sigillographic material, especially Byzantine lead seals. The project combined the analysis of seals with literary, archaeological and prosopographical evidence in order to better understand Byzantine administrative structures and forms of self-representation.

The main objectives were to collect and organise a substantial corpus of sigillographic material, analyse career patterns and administrative networks, explore Digital Humanities approaches for the future digital publication of the material, study iconographic and decorative motifs on seals, disseminate the results through publications and conferences, and support the researcher’s training and career development.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the reporting period, a large body of sigillographic material was collected, organised and critically assessed from published catalogues, museum collections, auction material and other sources. The material was structured into a coherent dataset including information on names, offices, titles, inscriptions, iconography, provenance and references where available.

The project produced substantial analytical work on Byzantine officials, administrative structures, mobility and identity. In particular, targeted studies were carried out on selected offices and groups of officials, including the genikos logothetes and the stratiotikos logothetes. The project also developed international collaborations, including work on Byzantine lead seals from regional museums in Turkey and research carried out during secondments in Sofia and Athens.

The project achieved strong dissemination results through peer-reviewed publications, forthcoming articles, international conference presentations, institutional presentations and teaching/training activities. Although the project ended earlier than initially planned due to the researcher’s appointment to a permanent academic position, it delivered significant scientific outputs and established a strong basis for further research, including a forthcoming monograph.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project contributed to progress beyond the state of the art by moving beyond the descriptive cataloguing of Byzantine lead seals towards a more analytical and interdisciplinary understanding of Byzantine administration and society. The structured corpus and prosopographical analysis provide new evidence on administrative structures, mobility, networks and self-representation among Byzantine officials.

A major contribution lies in the development of a more systematic methodological approach to the dating and interpretation of Byzantine lead seals, based on epigraphic, prosopographical, iconographic and contextual evidence. The project also strengthened the integration of sigillography with Digital Humanities approaches, including structured data management and preparation for future integration into interoperable digital platforms.

Although some components, such as the full SigiDoc-based online publication of the corpus and the comprehensive synthesis of all career patterns, could not be completed within the shortened project duration, the results achieved provide a robust foundation for future research and significantly advance the study of Byzantine administrative and social history.