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

Informazioni relative al progetto

SCIBOS

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101109500

DOI

10.3030/101109500

Data della firma CE 4 Maggio 2023

Data di avvio 1 Settembre 2024

Data di completamento 31 Agosto 2026

Finanziato da

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Costo totale

Nessun dato

Contributo UE

€ 195 914,88

Coordinato da

SORBONNE UNIVERSITE
France

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

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-09-01 al 2026-08-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

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.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

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.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

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.