University of Constantinople

The University of Constantinople (also known as the Athenaeum ), also known as the Magnaura College , was a higher educational institution that arose in late antiquity . Although the imperial side repeatedly intervened, it was not a state institution, but a conglomerate of private, independent foundations.

history

On February 27, 425, the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II placed teaching activities in Constantinople by law ( CTh 14,9,3) under state supervision. At that time there were "chairs" for philosophy, law, medicine, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, music, rhetoric and other subjects. Now there should only be 31 lecturers at the studia liberalia who were paid state salaries, had to wear official costume and had to be corporated. Only they were allowed to teach in the auditorium Capitolii . 15 of these lecturers were for the Latin language and 16 for the Greek language. There was also a professor for Greek philosophy and two for Roman law (the language of lawyers was Latin). Thus the high school was at least bilingual - as was the administration of the late ancient Eastern Roman Empire. It was not until around 600 that only Greek literature was taught in Constantinople, following the loss of importance of Latin.

The term "university" is not contemporary and actually misleading, since the high schools of Constantinople, even after 425, were more of an institution in the ancient tradition than something that would have been comparable to the Western European university , because next to the particularly privileged 32 lecturers there were still many other teachers in town.

In 425, the library was also generously funded by the emperor, so that it should have included 120,000 works. In 849 the structure of the high school was reformed under the regent Bardas - although it is very likely that it is actually a new establishment, since the tradition of the first institution seems to have largely died out in the 8th century . In general, many start-ups were personal and only existed until the death of the respective teacher. The university covered the fields of medicine , philosophy , law and forest science . At the same time there were art and business academies as well as “technical universities” and libraries in medieval Constantinople , which were spread over the entire inner city. After the city was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453, the high schools are no longer mentioned.

Eminent teachers

• Isidore of Miletus , physicist, mathematician, architect under Justinian
• Johannes Lydos ( 6th century ), antiquarian and rhetorician
• Stephanos of Byzantium ( 7th century ), geographer, grammarian, Neoplatonist
• Cyril of Saloniki (826–869), apostle of the Slavs
• Leon the mathematician ( 9th century ), mathematician and philosopher
• Patriarch Photius I (10th century), teacher of theology, philosophy, rhetoric and grammar
• Michael Psellos (11th century), polymath
• Johannes Mauropous (11th century), antiquarian
• John VIII , Patriarch of Constantinople
• Johannes Argyropulos , humanist, teacher at the Katholikon Museion

• Theodoros, teacher of geometry.
• Theodoghius, teacher of astronomy.
• Kometas, teacher of Greek philology.

Well-known students

• Johannes Maron I , first Maronite patriarch
• Tsar Simeon I (Bulgaria)
• Niketas Choniates statesman, historian: younger brother of Michael
• Michael Choniates (also Acominatus, 1140–1220) Archbishop of Athens, writer;

literature

• Peter Schreiner : Constantinople. History and Archeology , Munich 2007, pp. 114–117.
• Paul Speck: The Imperial University of Constantinople , Munich 1996.

See also

• Academy of Mangana in Constantinople
• Loss of books in late antiquity