books by Max Ritter
Byzanz zwischen Orient und Okzident 16 (Mainz 2019)., 2019
Piety is not the only driving force for the development of Christian pilgrimage. In a broad chron... more Piety is not the only driving force for the development of Christian pilgrimage. In a broad chronological and spatial perspective, the book deals with the economic interconnections that affected Byzantine pilgrimage from the 4th to the 12th century.
Going on pilgrimage is always religiously motivated and socially embedded, but the exact selection of the pilgrimage destination, the pilgrimage route, the offerings upon arrival and much more have been and are determined by basic economic constants and time-dependent socio-economic dynamics.
The book illuminates the Byzantine pilgrimage sanctuaries by examining their development, organizational and financial structure, which was already framed by laws in Late antiquity.
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Frömmigkeit ist nicht die alleinige Triebfeder für die Entwicklung des christlichen Pilgerwesens. Das Buch behandelt in einer weiten chronologischen und räumlichen Perspektive die ökonomischen Zusammenhänge, die auf das byzantinische Pilgerwesen (4.-12. Jh.) einwirkten.
Das Pilgern ist stets religiös motiviert und sozial eingebettet, doch die nähere Auswahl des Pilgerziels, die Pilgerroute, die Dankesgaben bei der Ankunft und vieles andere mehr wurden und werden durch ökonomische Grundkonstanten und zeitabhängige sozioökonomische Dynamiken bestimmt. Pilgerorte konkurrierten miteinander und ihre Ökonomien formten sich im gegenseitigen Wettbewerb. Daher müssen auch die Segensgaben, die in den Heiligtümern an Pilger verteilt wurden, und die an Kultorten abgehaltenen Jahrmärkte in einer ökonomischen Perspektive erforscht werden.
Pilgerheiligtümer entwickelten sich im Zeitverlauf sehr unterschiedlich. Zwar blieb Jerusalem stets das renommierteste Pilgerziel der gesamten Christenheit, doch zogen andere Orte im Mittelalter weit mehr Pilger an, obwohl sie an Glanz und Tradition zurückstanden. Einige Pilgerkirchen erlebten einen Aufstieg, andere verschwanden gänzlich. In einer Gesamtschau sind die ökonomischen Faktoren zu bestimmen, die diese Prozesse erklären können.
Eingehender beleuchtet das Buch die Jerusalemfahrt, weil bis zum 11. Jahrhundert die meisten lateinischen Pilger über Byzanz und mithilfe byzantinischer Gewährsleute in das Heilige Land reisten und sie dadurch zum wichtigsten kirchlichen Kontaktpunkt zwischen Byzanz und dem lateinischen Westen wurde. Überdies erlauben die westlichen Zeugnisse zu Jerusalempilgern Rückschlüsse auf Elemente des byzantinischen Pilgerwesens nach Jerusalem, über die wir weniger wissen.
Ein besonderes Anliegen des Buches ist die Einbeziehung moderner wirtschaftstheoretischer Analysemodelle. Hierdurch wird auch ein Beitrag zur Erforschung der Wirtschaft von Byzanz geleistet, da die Pilgerökonomie einen wesentlichen Teil der kirchlichen Wirtschaftsaktivität ausmachte.
Das Buch geht diesen Fragen auf Basis vor allem griechischer und lateinischer Quellen der Spätantike und der darauffolgenden byzantinischen Zeit nach. Im Fokus stehen die Lebensbeschreibungen der Heiligen und historische Quellen; aber auch Pilgerliteratur, Klosterakten und Briefe werden herangezogen.
Zusätzlich sind materielle Überreste mittelalterlicher Pilgeraktivität berücksichtigt. Entscheidend sind nicht nur archäologische Zeugnisse an den prominenten Pilgerorten des östlichen Mittelmeerraums, sondern auch die von dort stammenden Objekte.
peer-reviewed articles by Max Ritter
Antiquité Tardive 31 (2023) 305–323
There has been a drawn-out controversy about the relation between the church(es) of the Archangel... more There has been a drawn-out controversy about the relation between the church(es) of the Archangel in Anaplous, Hestiai and/or Sosthenion located in the outskirts of Constantinople. This contribution brings together the written evidence on these church(es) and discusses it in terms of location and identification. As archaeology might have had a word to say as well, the second part of the paper attempts to relate the remains of architectural sculpture discovered in the region to the Michaelion.
Byzantinische Zeitschrift 115 (2022) 287–340
The emperor Justinian’s (527-565) penchant for naming institutional bodies after himself is a wel... more The emperor Justinian’s (527-565) penchant for naming institutional bodies after himself is a well-known feature of his reign - not only to modern scholarship but already for his contemporaries. The present study takes a closer look at the cities which were conferred the name of Justinian and Theodora since it may shed light on the emperor’s vision for the empire and his relations to the cities. The study sets off with an investigation of the various contexts, incentives and initiators for the grant of Justinian’s appellation to the cities. In brief, the confer of imperial epithets concerned the relation between the emperor and his subjects, who petitioned with him for this honour and received his name as a token of benevolence. The emperor’s favour conveyed power, and those below him strove to get his attention. In passing, the study also considers the longevity of the imperial eponyms. They did not usually stick in the subsequent centuries, partly because there were far too many cities named after the couple than was handy for the central administration, but also because the eponyms lost their function in the course of time.
Dumbarton Oaks Papers 75 (2021) 143–169
Seasides of Byzantium: Harbours and Anchorages of a Mediterranean Empire, eds. J. Preiser-Kapeller, T. Kolias and F. Daim. Byzanz zwischen Orient und Okzident 21 (Mainz 2022) 197–218, 2022
Pilgrimage and Economy in the Ancient Mediterranean, eds. A. Collar and T. Myrup Kristensen. Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 192 (Leiden 2020) 254–284
Επετηρίς Κέντρου Επιστημονικών Ερευνών Κύπρου 39 (2016–18), 217–255
![Research paper thumbnail of Isaac II Angelos and the Rebellion of 1185 [in German]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/32929833/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Die vlacho-bulgarische Rebellion und die Versuche ihrer Niederschlagung durch Kaiser Isaakios II. (1185–1195). Byzantinoslavica 71 (2013) 162–210
The Vlach-Bulgarian revolt of 1185/86 marks the focal point of Isaac's II reign. The rebellion wa... more The Vlach-Bulgarian revolt of 1185/86 marks the focal point of Isaac's II reign. The rebellion was sparked by the emperor's tax policy rather than by his treatment of the Asen brothers, although the latter proved pivotal in escalating a small-scale tax revolt into a full blown aristocratic usurpation. Isaac II didn't respond immediately to the uprising because of his Cyprus campaign (1186). His subsequent attempt at crushing the rebellion appeared successful at first, but the rebels joined forces with their most powerful ally, the Cumans, who repelled the Byzantine onslaughts during the winter months.
Several points are made in the article. Firstly, Michael Choniates' panegyric speech, which relays the first campaign undertaken by Isaac II, was written in 1186, rather than 1187, as has been assumed until now. The same is true for the speech addressed to the emperor by Ioannes Syropoulos, which was dated in the 1190s before. Secondly, the relationship between the Asen brothers determined the date and target of the tsarist coronation and the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Thirdly, with the help of rhetorical sources, Isaac's II third campaign in 1190 is exposed as the most ambitious campaign since Manuel's I death. Fourthly, it can be deduced that the battle at the Morava against the Serbs happened most likely in 1191. Finally, Isaac's Balkan policy was sound and failed mainly because of the internal struggles within the empire, which evolved out of the Komnenian system and not due to him personally.
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies 40 (2016) 187–206
This paper gives a brief report on the 21 Byzantine coins recovered during archaeological fieldwo... more This paper gives a brief report on the 21 Byzantine coins recovered during archaeological fieldwork in southwestern Paphlagonia (north-central Turkey) between 2005 and 2008. One coin is silver and the rest are all bronze or copper alloy. Chronologically, the latter are divided between the Early and the Middle Byzantine periods. Although the assemblage is small, it provides useful information about the distribution of Byzantine coins from one of the more remote rural areas of north -central Asia Minor.
The Art and Archaeology of Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus (1192-1571): Recent Research and New Discoveries, eds. M. Parani and M. Olympios. Turnhout 2019, 125–144
Les mobilités monastiques en Orient et en Occident de l’Antiquité tardive au Moyen Âge (IVe-XVe siècle), eds. O. Delouis, M. Mossakowska-Gaubert and A. Peters-Custot. Rome 2019, 275–309, 2019
papers in edited volumes by Max Ritter
Handbuch globale Handelsräume und Handelsrouten von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, eds. M. Häberlein and M.A. Denzel. Berlin 2024, 195-227
Byzanz am Rhein: Festschrift für Günter Prinzing anlässlich seines 80. Geburtstags, eds. A. Bosselmann-Ruickbie. Wiesbaden 2024, 175–187, 2024
This paper gives a brief report on the 4 Byzantine lead seals recovered during archaeological fie... more This paper gives a brief report on the 4 Byzantine lead seals recovered during archaeological fieldwork in central Paphlagonia (north-central Turkey) between 2008 and 2016.
Anekdota Byzantina: Studien zur byzantinischen Geschichte und Kultur. Festschrift für Albrecht Berger anlässlich seines 65. Geburtstags., eds. I. Grimm-Stadelmann et al. München 2023, 617–639.
Title: Echte und falsche Demensiegel. Mit einem Parergon zum Numeron der Ambianenses
2nd Intern. Hagia Sophia Symposium, 27–29 May 2022, eds. Z. Kurşun, A. İ. Aydın. Istanbul 2023, 385–406.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem: Journeys, Destinations, Experiences across Times and Cultures, eds. F. Daim et al. Mainz 2020, 87-107., 2020
The city of Jerusalem has been associated with Christian pilgrimage since antiquity. By the sixth... more The city of Jerusalem has been associated with Christian pilgrimage since antiquity. By the sixth century, Christian pilgrimage from all over the Mediterranean toward the city had become a mass-phenomenon. However, testimonies for pilgrims become sparser after the Arab conquest in 638 and in the centuries of Muslim rule over Palestine. Yet there can be no doubt that Jerusalem remained the most desired pilgrimage destination of the entire Christendom in the Early and High Middle Ages. The paper gathers pilgrimage testimonies and analyses the dates and travel routes of individual pilgrims in order to draw a picture of Jerusalem pilgrimage activity and its frequency over the centuries. A contextualisation of the reported travels within the political situation between Byzantium and the Muslim potentates ruling over Palestine accompanies the analysis. It raises the question which of the political conditions we can consider as critical for the pilgrims’ decisions regarding their travel route and the date of departure.
Für Seelenheil und Lebensglück: Das byzantinische Pilgerwesen und seine Wurzeln, eds. D. Ariantzi and I. Eichner. Byzanz zwischen Orient und Okzident 10. Mainz 2018, 367–382
It may look strange to investigate economic aspects of a specific market type prima facie. But it... more It may look strange to investigate economic aspects of a specific market type prima facie. But it is not, because panegyric markets were to some extent under either episcopal or monastic control and fixed in time and space to the feast day of the respective local Church, and did therefore not follow strict economic patterns alone. Due to being organised by the Church, they are mostly mentioned in hagiography and theological writings; in most cases without signalling their economic role, the purchasers and sellers, the goods traded, and the money involved. Furthermore, panegyric markets were a common practise in the Byzantine world and they are rarely described in any detail.
Therefore, it is hard to write a concise economic history of these markets in Byzantium. The aim of this study is to reveal the economic mechanisms acting in these feast markets and to explore how economic aspects did influence the institution of the panegyris over time. As a prerequisite to this, a comprehensive list of the known Byzantine panegyreis has to form the basis of this study. Fortunately, we have more than only cursory information on two specific Byzantine panegyric markets, the one in Thessalonica and the one in Euchaϊta, which will help to tackle the major issues encountered.
Pompeiopolis Nekropolü Yüzey Araştırması (Paflagonya). Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı 30 (2012) 169–182
Landscape Dynamics and Settlement Patterns in Northern Anatolia during the Roman and Byzantine Period, eds. K. Winther-Jacobsen and L. Summerer. Stuttgart 2015, 119–133, 2015
Due to a long period of neglect regarding Roman and Byzantine archaeological research in Paphlago... more Due to a long period of neglect regarding Roman and Byzantine archaeological research in Paphlagonia, the late antique period of that region is only slowly coming to light. It is not feasible to apply settlement and development patterns developed for sites in southern and western Asia Minor to the southern Black Sea region since the conditions, historical development and degree of urbanisation were all very different. We still lack a concise theoretical approach to the structural changes within the Paphlagonian cities that led to their abandonment at this time. Locally divergent reasons such as natural disaster, disease or climate change cannot explain this phenomenon, and we need to identify the structural reasons for the desurbanisation that occurred not only in Paphlagonia but across the entirety of Asia Minor. Interior Paphlagonia provides us with several abandoned cities and may offer much of value for this debate. The Persian onslaughts were certainly not the reason for this change, as the process was already under way. Nevertheless, the effects of this conflict are still unknown, and numismatic assemblages may illuminate the provincial situation during the seventh century.
Contextualizing Pompeiopolis: Urban Development in Roman Anatolia from a Comparative Perspective, eds. L. Summerer, P. Johnson and J. Koch. Stuttgart 2025, forthcom.
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books by Max Ritter
Going on pilgrimage is always religiously motivated and socially embedded, but the exact selection of the pilgrimage destination, the pilgrimage route, the offerings upon arrival and much more have been and are determined by basic economic constants and time-dependent socio-economic dynamics.
The book illuminates the Byzantine pilgrimage sanctuaries by examining their development, organizational and financial structure, which was already framed by laws in Late antiquity.
+++
Frömmigkeit ist nicht die alleinige Triebfeder für die Entwicklung des christlichen Pilgerwesens. Das Buch behandelt in einer weiten chronologischen und räumlichen Perspektive die ökonomischen Zusammenhänge, die auf das byzantinische Pilgerwesen (4.-12. Jh.) einwirkten.
Das Pilgern ist stets religiös motiviert und sozial eingebettet, doch die nähere Auswahl des Pilgerziels, die Pilgerroute, die Dankesgaben bei der Ankunft und vieles andere mehr wurden und werden durch ökonomische Grundkonstanten und zeitabhängige sozioökonomische Dynamiken bestimmt. Pilgerorte konkurrierten miteinander und ihre Ökonomien formten sich im gegenseitigen Wettbewerb. Daher müssen auch die Segensgaben, die in den Heiligtümern an Pilger verteilt wurden, und die an Kultorten abgehaltenen Jahrmärkte in einer ökonomischen Perspektive erforscht werden.
Pilgerheiligtümer entwickelten sich im Zeitverlauf sehr unterschiedlich. Zwar blieb Jerusalem stets das renommierteste Pilgerziel der gesamten Christenheit, doch zogen andere Orte im Mittelalter weit mehr Pilger an, obwohl sie an Glanz und Tradition zurückstanden. Einige Pilgerkirchen erlebten einen Aufstieg, andere verschwanden gänzlich. In einer Gesamtschau sind die ökonomischen Faktoren zu bestimmen, die diese Prozesse erklären können.
Eingehender beleuchtet das Buch die Jerusalemfahrt, weil bis zum 11. Jahrhundert die meisten lateinischen Pilger über Byzanz und mithilfe byzantinischer Gewährsleute in das Heilige Land reisten und sie dadurch zum wichtigsten kirchlichen Kontaktpunkt zwischen Byzanz und dem lateinischen Westen wurde. Überdies erlauben die westlichen Zeugnisse zu Jerusalempilgern Rückschlüsse auf Elemente des byzantinischen Pilgerwesens nach Jerusalem, über die wir weniger wissen.
Ein besonderes Anliegen des Buches ist die Einbeziehung moderner wirtschaftstheoretischer Analysemodelle. Hierdurch wird auch ein Beitrag zur Erforschung der Wirtschaft von Byzanz geleistet, da die Pilgerökonomie einen wesentlichen Teil der kirchlichen Wirtschaftsaktivität ausmachte.
Das Buch geht diesen Fragen auf Basis vor allem griechischer und lateinischer Quellen der Spätantike und der darauffolgenden byzantinischen Zeit nach. Im Fokus stehen die Lebensbeschreibungen der Heiligen und historische Quellen; aber auch Pilgerliteratur, Klosterakten und Briefe werden herangezogen.
Zusätzlich sind materielle Überreste mittelalterlicher Pilgeraktivität berücksichtigt. Entscheidend sind nicht nur archäologische Zeugnisse an den prominenten Pilgerorten des östlichen Mittelmeerraums, sondern auch die von dort stammenden Objekte.
peer-reviewed articles by Max Ritter
Several points are made in the article. Firstly, Michael Choniates' panegyric speech, which relays the first campaign undertaken by Isaac II, was written in 1186, rather than 1187, as has been assumed until now. The same is true for the speech addressed to the emperor by Ioannes Syropoulos, which was dated in the 1190s before. Secondly, the relationship between the Asen brothers determined the date and target of the tsarist coronation and the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Thirdly, with the help of rhetorical sources, Isaac's II third campaign in 1190 is exposed as the most ambitious campaign since Manuel's I death. Fourthly, it can be deduced that the battle at the Morava against the Serbs happened most likely in 1191. Finally, Isaac's Balkan policy was sound and failed mainly because of the internal struggles within the empire, which evolved out of the Komnenian system and not due to him personally.
papers in edited volumes by Max Ritter
Therefore, it is hard to write a concise economic history of these markets in Byzantium. The aim of this study is to reveal the economic mechanisms acting in these feast markets and to explore how economic aspects did influence the institution of the panegyris over time. As a prerequisite to this, a comprehensive list of the known Byzantine panegyreis has to form the basis of this study. Fortunately, we have more than only cursory information on two specific Byzantine panegyric markets, the one in Thessalonica and the one in Euchaϊta, which will help to tackle the major issues encountered.
Going on pilgrimage is always religiously motivated and socially embedded, but the exact selection of the pilgrimage destination, the pilgrimage route, the offerings upon arrival and much more have been and are determined by basic economic constants and time-dependent socio-economic dynamics.
The book illuminates the Byzantine pilgrimage sanctuaries by examining their development, organizational and financial structure, which was already framed by laws in Late antiquity.
+++
Frömmigkeit ist nicht die alleinige Triebfeder für die Entwicklung des christlichen Pilgerwesens. Das Buch behandelt in einer weiten chronologischen und räumlichen Perspektive die ökonomischen Zusammenhänge, die auf das byzantinische Pilgerwesen (4.-12. Jh.) einwirkten.
Das Pilgern ist stets religiös motiviert und sozial eingebettet, doch die nähere Auswahl des Pilgerziels, die Pilgerroute, die Dankesgaben bei der Ankunft und vieles andere mehr wurden und werden durch ökonomische Grundkonstanten und zeitabhängige sozioökonomische Dynamiken bestimmt. Pilgerorte konkurrierten miteinander und ihre Ökonomien formten sich im gegenseitigen Wettbewerb. Daher müssen auch die Segensgaben, die in den Heiligtümern an Pilger verteilt wurden, und die an Kultorten abgehaltenen Jahrmärkte in einer ökonomischen Perspektive erforscht werden.
Pilgerheiligtümer entwickelten sich im Zeitverlauf sehr unterschiedlich. Zwar blieb Jerusalem stets das renommierteste Pilgerziel der gesamten Christenheit, doch zogen andere Orte im Mittelalter weit mehr Pilger an, obwohl sie an Glanz und Tradition zurückstanden. Einige Pilgerkirchen erlebten einen Aufstieg, andere verschwanden gänzlich. In einer Gesamtschau sind die ökonomischen Faktoren zu bestimmen, die diese Prozesse erklären können.
Eingehender beleuchtet das Buch die Jerusalemfahrt, weil bis zum 11. Jahrhundert die meisten lateinischen Pilger über Byzanz und mithilfe byzantinischer Gewährsleute in das Heilige Land reisten und sie dadurch zum wichtigsten kirchlichen Kontaktpunkt zwischen Byzanz und dem lateinischen Westen wurde. Überdies erlauben die westlichen Zeugnisse zu Jerusalempilgern Rückschlüsse auf Elemente des byzantinischen Pilgerwesens nach Jerusalem, über die wir weniger wissen.
Ein besonderes Anliegen des Buches ist die Einbeziehung moderner wirtschaftstheoretischer Analysemodelle. Hierdurch wird auch ein Beitrag zur Erforschung der Wirtschaft von Byzanz geleistet, da die Pilgerökonomie einen wesentlichen Teil der kirchlichen Wirtschaftsaktivität ausmachte.
Das Buch geht diesen Fragen auf Basis vor allem griechischer und lateinischer Quellen der Spätantike und der darauffolgenden byzantinischen Zeit nach. Im Fokus stehen die Lebensbeschreibungen der Heiligen und historische Quellen; aber auch Pilgerliteratur, Klosterakten und Briefe werden herangezogen.
Zusätzlich sind materielle Überreste mittelalterlicher Pilgeraktivität berücksichtigt. Entscheidend sind nicht nur archäologische Zeugnisse an den prominenten Pilgerorten des östlichen Mittelmeerraums, sondern auch die von dort stammenden Objekte.
Several points are made in the article. Firstly, Michael Choniates' panegyric speech, which relays the first campaign undertaken by Isaac II, was written in 1186, rather than 1187, as has been assumed until now. The same is true for the speech addressed to the emperor by Ioannes Syropoulos, which was dated in the 1190s before. Secondly, the relationship between the Asen brothers determined the date and target of the tsarist coronation and the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Thirdly, with the help of rhetorical sources, Isaac's II third campaign in 1190 is exposed as the most ambitious campaign since Manuel's I death. Fourthly, it can be deduced that the battle at the Morava against the Serbs happened most likely in 1191. Finally, Isaac's Balkan policy was sound and failed mainly because of the internal struggles within the empire, which evolved out of the Komnenian system and not due to him personally.
Therefore, it is hard to write a concise economic history of these markets in Byzantium. The aim of this study is to reveal the economic mechanisms acting in these feast markets and to explore how economic aspects did influence the institution of the panegyris over time. As a prerequisite to this, a comprehensive list of the known Byzantine panegyreis has to form the basis of this study. Fortunately, we have more than only cursory information on two specific Byzantine panegyric markets, the one in Thessalonica and the one in Euchaϊta, which will help to tackle the major issues encountered.
Jerusalem is a city holy to three world religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. From the early Byzantine period, Christian pilgrimage here and to other holy sites became a »mass phenomenon«. Thousands of Christians set out to holy sites in Palestine, Egypt and other places in order to physically experience salvation history and seek divine intervention in their lives. Numerous travel reports, pilgrim guides and other written sources highlight important aspects of pilgrimage. In addition, many well-preserved churches, monasteries, hostels and other buildings, as well as rich archaeological findings, provide us with a vivid and synthetic picture of the history of pilgrimage to the Holy Land.