Vortrag im Rahmen des Graduiertenkollegs 2304 "Byzanz und die euromediterranen Kriegskulturen"
Prof. Dr. Filippo Ronconi (Paris)
Reconstructing a 7th c. migration by way of manuscriptology.
The case of the transmission of 'On weights and measures'
by Epiphanius of Cyprus (with a note on Epiphanius' witness on
the use of weapons as coins)
Mittwoch, 29. Mai 2019, 18:15 Uhr, Hörsaal P 6 (Philosophicum)
The first part of the presentation will outline the historical context of the human migration that took place from Near East to southern and central Italy in the 7th c. CE. Paleographical, codicological and philological evidences will prove the importance of manuscriptology in the detection of such anthropic phenomena.
The second part will focus on the textual tradition of the work known as 'On weights and measures' attributed to Epiphanios, the Syriac-born Christian author made bishop of Cyprus between the 4th and 5th c. After demonstrating the contribution of the 7th c. migration to the survival of this text via its spread in many areas and its translation in several languages, we will focus on a paragraph of the work in which Epiphanios states the relationship between the ancient coin named obolos and the well-known ancient spear called belos. We will show how, in Epiphanios' view, the archaic use of weapons as coins is a confirmation of the fact that violence dominated the pagan world, this ancient practice thus being perceived as a symbol of primitivism, in its opposition to Christianity and more specifically to the new Christian order embodied by the Pax Romano-byzantina.
Filippo Ronconi is associate professor (Maître de Conférences) at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences of Paris (EHESS), where he has created the chair Writing and Society in Byzantium (Ecriture et société à Byzance). He is Member of PSL – Research University Paris, of the European Laboratory of History and Anthropology of Knowledge, Technics and Beliefs (LabEx Hastec), founding member of the CéSor (Centre d’études en sciences sociales du religieux), corresponding member of the AHLOMA group (Anthropologie historique du long Moyen Âge), which is a part of the CRH (Centre de Recherches Historiques), member of the common seminar of EHESS, Peking University Běidà and EFEO, which takes place at the Peking University Běidà, remote referee of ERC Starting Grant and director (with Jean-Luc Fournet) of the International Itinerant Paleographic School – IIPS.