Founded in 2011, the Leibniz ScienceCampus “Byzantium between Orient and Occident – Mainz/Frankfurt” successfully completed its second funding phase with the Leibniz Association on June 30, 2025. In recent years the cooperation between Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA), Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), and Goethe University Frankfurt has developed into an internationally networked research and training center for Byzantine studies in the Rhine-Main region – one that will now be extended beyond the conclusion of the funding period.
The Byzantine Empire played a key role in shaping modern Europe and the Middle East. Between the 4th and 12th centuries, it set standards in all areas of life and significantly influenced neighboring regions. Byzantium thus formed a bridge between antiquity and modern times, as well as between Europe and the Orient. The Orthodox Church is one legacy of the Byzantine Empire that is still present in many countries today. Despite its historical significance, however, the study of Byzantine history and culture remains a niche research area in Germany, even though the Byzantine element is gaining new importance against the backdrop of the European unification process.
An established center for Byzantine research
The Mainz/Frankfurt ScienceCampus has institutionally established a broad platform for interdisciplinary Byzantine research. All subjects contributing to research into the Byzantine Empire and its culture are involved. This enables topic-oriented, multidisciplinary historical and cultural research to be conducted under one roof, improving the visibility of this specialist area through a joint presence for Byzantine research.
“Thanks to the dedicated work of all those involved, and with the help of many years of financial support from the Leibniz Association and the partners involved, we have succeeded in establishing an internationally recognized center for interdisciplinary Byzantine research in the Rhine-Main region over the past 14 years. The close cooperation between a wide range of disciplines has significantly contributed to an urgent change of perspective regarding the role of Byzantium as a mediator between the Orient and the Occident,” summarizes Prof. Dr Alexandra W. Busch, spokesperson for the ScienceCampus Byzantium and Director General of LEIZA.
Prof. Dr Johannes Pahlitzsch, spokesperson of the Research Training Group “Byzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War” and member of the ScienceCampus board at JGU, also emphasizes this aspect: “The enlargement of the European Union to include countries with Byzantine cultural heritage, the outdated stereotypes that still characterize the Western view of Eastern Europe, and the presence of people in Central and Western Europe whose cultural roots were directly influenced by Byzantium, make this clear: the traditional Western European perspective on the development of European history and culture needs to be broadened.”
Bundled expertise in the Rhine-Main region
Among the most notable achievements of the second Leibniz funding phase from 2019 to 2025 are the regional research and teaching structures: JGU’s first transdisciplinary research training group on the significance of Byzantine culture for Europe, funded by the German Research Foundation, has been extended. Furthermore, JGU’s international Master’s degree program “Byzantine Studies. Perspectives on the Global Middle Ages” has been accredited. Prof. Dr. Dirk Wicke from Goethe University Frankfurt, member of the ScienceCampus board, also emphasizes: “The targeted establishment of a junior professorship for Islamic Archaeology and Art History at Goethe University with funding from the Volkswagen Foundation has significantly expanded the range of subjects active in Byzantine research in the region.”
Prospects beyond funding
The participating institutions will continue their collaboration even after the Leibniz funding. The aim is to expand the network to include further national partners and establish the center for interdisciplinary Byzantine research on a permanent basis. Once the official funding ends in July 2025, the “Leibniz” suffix will be dropped from the ScienceCampus name.
The Leibniz ScienceCampi
The “ScienceCampus” cooperation model was launched by the Leibniz Association to facilitate networking between universities and non-university research institutions within specific thematic areas. One of the first initiatives of this kind was the Leibniz ScienceCampus “Byzantium between Orient and Occident”, launched in 2011.
Editor: Anke Sauter
Source: LEIZA press release on the end of Leibniz funding for the Byzantium ScienceCampus.
Publication Date: July 3, 2025
Contact:
Dr Benjamin Fourlas
Managing Director of the Leibniz ScienceCampus ‚Byzantium between Orient and Occident – Mainz/Frankfurt‘
Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA)
+49 (0)6131/8885-168
benjamin.fourlas@leiza.de
Further information:
Leibniz ScienceCampus “Byzantium between Orient and Occident – Mainz/Frankfurt”
