Byzantium research on the rise: ScienceCampus Mainz/Frankfurt shines!

Byzantium research on the rise: ScienceCampus Mainz/Frankfurt shines!

On July 4, 2025, the Leibniz Science Campus “Byzantium between Orient and Occident – ​​Mainz/Frankfurt” reached an important stage in its development. The campus, founded in 2011, has established itself in recent years as an international research and training center for Byzantine studies in the Rhine-Main area. The second funding phase of the initiative by the Leibniz Association ended successfully on June 30, 2025.

The key institutions involved, including the Leibniz Center for Archeology (LEIZA), the Leibniz Institute for European History (IEG), the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Goethe University Frankfurt, have significantly increased the visibility of Byzantium research through their cooperation. Despite Byzantium's historically important position in European culture, research in Germany is often viewed as a niche activity.

Important achievements and future goals

In the second funding phase from 2019 to 2025, the institutions were able to implement several important projects. This includes the extension of the first transdisciplinary graduate school on Byzantine culture at JGU and the accreditation of the international master's program "Byzantine Studies. Perspectives on the Global Middle Ages". In addition, a junior professorship for Islamic archeology and art history was established at Goethe University.

Despite the impending end of Leibniz funding, the institutions involved are continuing their collaboration. The aim is to expand the network to include national partners and to establish the center for interdisciplinary Byzantium research in the long term. The publication series “Byzantium between Orient and Occident” will also be continued and will soon contain more than 30 volumes. The total funding provided by the Leibniz Association is around 2.3 million euros.

The context of Byzantium research

The Byzantine Empire played a prominent role in shaping modern Europe and the Near East between the 4th and 12th centuries. Byzantium was not only a cultural bridge between antiquity and modern times, but also set standards in many areas of life that had a lasting influence on neighboring states. The Byzantine heritage is still present in many countries today, especially through the Orthodox Church.

However, research on Byzantine history and culture has a niche position in Germany. The ScienceCampus Mainz/Frankfurt aims to establish a broad platform for interdisciplinary Byzantium research. With subjects such as Byzantine Studies, Christian Archeology and Byzantine Art History, the campus attempts to integrate the fragmented areas of knowledge and focus them on a common mission.

In this context, the collaboration between the institutions not only promotes the visibility of Byzantium research, but also creates the conditions for topic-oriented, multidisciplinary research. The Leibniz Association's initiative is therefore an important step towards strengthening the research location and further deepening studies on Byzantium, which is considered an important epoch between the Orient and the Occident.

The thematic breadth of Byzantine studies includes, among other things, Christian archaeology, the material legacy of early Christianity and the art history of the Byzantine Empire. The scientists work to record and protect monuments and to present and explain the development of cultures. Its goal is to promote deeper cultural awareness.

The institutes and their contact persons are available to provide further information and contacts in this area in order to make the complexity and diversity of Byzantium research accessible to a broader public. These collaborations show how important interdisciplinary approaches are for contemporary science and how they can be successfully implemented in a strongly networked research environment.

University of Mainz, Byzantium Mainz, University of Göttingen