Adolescence in Byzantium

The aim of the project is to systematically investigate the decisive phase of transition from childhood to adulthood, in which material, emotional and spiritual disengagement from the parents and the incremental emancipation of the individual are accomplished, in the Byzantine cultural area for the period from the 6th to 11th century. Working hypothesis: The starting point of the investigation are the following three fundamental reasons for leaving the family sphere of authority: general or career-oriented education; marriage (or preceding engagement); entering a monastery. Whereas in the case of leaving during childhood the decision concerning possible life paths was almost exclusively made by the parents or the guardians, with respect to youths leaving the domestic environment, the role of the youth as active and self-determined in the decision-making process must still be clarified, as well as the extent to which parental influence played a role. Moreover, based on passages in the sources, the image of the emancipatory forms of behavior of youths will be compiled. The method of working is based on an analytical reading of the written sources from the 6th to the 11th century, supplemented by visual documents of the time. The collected material will be processed through comparative analysis, synthesis and interpretation of the information. In this process, the source information will be scrutinised and evaluated with the help of research approaches from psychology and social anthropology. The results of a systematic analysis of adolescence that is based on sources will amend and contribute far-reaching to the previous image of childhood and youth in Byzantium, and will moreover accomplish an essentially more differentiated, multifaceted understanding. The common factor of social and economic dependence on the family has led to the situation in which both of these life phases, which are closely linked to each other, can only become comprehensible in many respects through an examination that is comparative, critical of the sources and chronologically differentiating and focused on both the stages of childhood and adolescence, their nuances and differences. Current theories about the manifestations of adolescence lead to the question of whether, and if so, to what degree and in which modifications these theories are applicable to the conditions of the Middle Ages (taking into account the specific source material). The analysis of the leaving of the family moreover allows insights into the expectations for the future - and their alteration (over time) - not only of the respective parental generation, but also of the community as a whole in regard to the succeeding generation.

The aim of the project was to systematically investigate the decisive phase of transition from childhood to adulthood in the Byzantine cultural sphere from the 6th to 11th century. The project completed an exploration and systematic analysis of a) terminological investigations of adolescence; b) perception and models of Adolescence in Byzantium and critical examination of the modern psychological and sociological theories and concepts; c) physical and psychosexual as well as mental and cognitive development; d) Socialisations process and peer groups in Byzantium. The starting point for the investigation into the Byzantine understanding of youth and of becoming an adult was to make up by the contemporary terminology of Byzantine sources. The Byzantine terms of adolescence are formed to a great extent by Roman legal practices and Byzantine medical doctrines on human ages. Certain semantic similarities with modern theories occur in the concepts of phases and sequences of adolescence. In this respect we always have to consider the binary oppositions on the basis of which the authors of hagiographical texts juxtapose future holy men and normal youngsters. These contrastive presentations yield a catalogue of positive and negative qualities of adolescents as well as a number of characteristics which were regarded typical for young people. The relevant semantic fields refer to physical qualities, the outward appearance, mental conditions, and forms of social interaction. Main goal of the project was to examine the integrations process of adolescents into society through contacts with other peers. Peers in Byzantium formed a separate social group within the society with the relevant physiological and intellectual characteristics and took a socio- political role. The sources reveal different forms of group identity and feelings of belonging to specific, status-related systems of values. Another field of investigation was the question of gender-specific differences between young men and women. The adolescence of girls in aristocratic circles was not devoid of education and it prepared them for married life, except in the case of young nuns. The span of time between betrothal and marriage was spent at home. For most boys of the urban elite and aristocracy, however, there existed yet another transitional stage of socialization and education before coming of age, training that took place outside the paternal household.