Soft Power Strategy of the Byzantine Empire

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01053
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03040:History of Europe and America-related
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: Nezu Yukio 金沢大学, 人文学系, 教授 (50202247)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ビザンツ / アドリア海 / 中世イタリア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The task of my research is to make clear the reason why many peoples living far from Byzantium and were hardly ruled by them insisted they were under suzerainty of and boasted of their status as the subject of Byzantine Emperor.
Though original investigation plan was forced to a change under the influence of the corona pandemic and the investigation had to concentrate on the Italian mainland, I was able to carry out 2 research tour in the areas of Tuscany, Campania, Puglia and Calabria of Italy. It was a great achievement that by visiting to many historical structures remaining on the spot and seeing many paintings or art cafts, we were able to feel the glimpse of "things like byzantine " in Italy which will be not able to acquire only by reading books.

Free Research Field

西洋史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

今回の研究の最大の学術的意義は、文献調査だけではなかなか十分に解明しきれないイタリア各地に残る「ビザンツ的なるもの」の痕跡を、現地調査を通じて積極的に探求したことである。それらは必ずしも明示的なものではなく、またどこまで当時のそれらの造形者がビザンツ性を意識していたかすら明らかでないものも少なくないが、それだけいっそう中世イタリアの人々の心の奥底に「ビザンツ的なるもの」が深く刻まれていたことを窺わせるものになっている。こうした事象は、異国の魅力的な文化が現地の人々の心を感化させた例として、時や空間を越え、様々な異文化交流の歴史を考察するにあたって、貴重な参照系を提供するものと言えるだろう。