The call for applications for the 8th edition of the " Introduction aux sources du droit romain " workshop is open.
The workshop will take place from June 17 to 21 2024 at the École française de Rome.
The deadline for applications is January 15 2024.
Law is an essential component of the Roman world. The study of legal texts highlights the argumentative logic specific to the law and identifies the values that govern the decisions of jurists and legislators, but also enables us to get closer to a certain number of historical realities. These varied sources (literary, epigraphic, papyrological) reveal the evolution of legal thought, the principles of the law and how it was applied. They also reveal economic data, lifestyles and social practices. Legal texts thus constitute a rich and useful source of documentation for historians, which is in part waiting to be exploited. But a question of method arises : to what extent can legal texts be considered a reliable mirror of economic, social and political realities ? Above all, how can we find our way through the variety of sources, genres and editions of legal texts ?
Founded by Jean-Louis Ferrary, Dario Mantovani and Hélène Ménard in 2017, the workshop aims to familiarize participants with the main texts of Roman law and the methodological issues they raise, based on their direct and ongoing reading. Legal literature will be the first field of exploration, starting with the Digest : we'll be looking at what it means to be a jurist in Rome, how law is made, the nature of the different literary genres, and which editions are the reference works. The imperial constitutions, based on the Mosaicarum et Romanarum legum Collatio and the Codes, will form the second field of work.
Sessions will be held in the conference and seminar rooms of Piazza Navona and in the Volterra library. Built up from the deposit entrusted to the École française de Rome by the great Romanist Edoardo Volterra, its extraordinary ancient and modern holdings will enable us to reflect on the transmission of ancient texts and their passage through European culture. The study of Roman law, in the form of the books on the shelves of the Volterra library, will make visible and immediately accessible a journey through the history of historiography.
The course will be taught by Dario Mantovani and Hélène Ménard. A guest lecturer, chosen each year from among researchers involved in an international research project, a publishing project or with specific, complementary expertise, will be invited to illustrate his or her research and introduce students to the presentation of innovative projects. Luigi Pellecchi, a professor at the University of Parma and a specialist in Roman legal thought and trials, particularly form proceedings, will take part in the 2024 edition.
The final session on Friday, June 21 will be devoted to the practical application by participants, organized in groups, of the methods acquired on the analysis of legal sources.
The workshop is aimed at young researchers (2nd year Masters, PhD students, post-docs), specialists in Roman and medieval history, philology or law, and more generally at any young researcher wishing to familiarize themselves with the sources of Roman law for their research subject or to develop their knowledge of a document of prime importance.
The course runs over five days (Monday to Friday). Sessions will take place from 9 h 30 to 12 h 30 then from 14 h 30 to 17 h 30. The languages used by both speakers and participants will be Italian and French. A B2/C1 level is required in both languages.
The École française de Rome will cover accommodation and catering costs for lunches during the workshop ; participants are responsible for their own travel costs.
The workshop is also supported by the Law, Culture and Society in Ancient Rome Chair, Collège de France, and the Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3.
Coordinators:
- Dario Mantovani, Collège de France
- Hélène Ménard, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, EA 4424 - CRISES
Applications must be submitted by January 15 2024 12 h (Rome time) via the form provided in the link below. Applicants should provide :
- a curriculum vitae
- a detailed letter of motivation
