Introduction

Our Chair regularly offers seminars in which students can write a Bachelor’s thesis (6 ECTS) or Master’s thesis (12 ECTS). Sometimes, the seminars focus on topics in Roman Civil Law, as presented in the lectures. However, other ancient legal traditions are also regularly explored, with papyri serving as fundamental sources. Participants thus have the unique opportunity to gain insights into the legal pluralism of antiquity, which encompasses not only Roman but also Greek, Egyptian, Jewish, and even Mesopotamian law. In few other areas of legal science are research and teaching so closely intertwined as in Juristic Papyrology! Here, intersections of various research fields such as law, ancient history, and classical philology are found, offering fresh perspectives.

An overview of past and current seminars can be found under Seminars. Please note that each seminar has a limited number of participants. Anyone with questions may contact the Chair at lst.alonso@ius.uzh.ch at any time. This especially applies to students of the Faculty of Arts who are interested in writing a seminar paper at our Chair!

As historical sources are also studied intensively alongside contemporary texts in Roman Civil Law and Juristic Papyrology, a broader research approach is recommended compared with other areas of law. Depending on the topic, different approaches are necessary, as indicated by the various categories (papyri, Roman legal sources, other sources, and secondary literature). Reference is made to the corresponding questions at this point.

The starting point is always the literature and sources recommended in the introductory documents of the respective seminar, which facilitate introduction to the topic and point to further works for more in-depth study.

It should be noted that in the context of a historical paper, not only secondary literature by modern authors is analysed and compared, but rather, work should be done based on the sources themselves. This means placing the sources (e.g., papyri) at the centre of the research and verifying the statements of modern authors based on the discussed sources.

For each seminar, participants are provided with a digital seminar apparatus on Google Drive, where important documents and sources are accessible at any time. These texts are assigned to thematic folders, which may vary in number and designation depending on the seminar.

Normally, the first folder contains general information such as the seminar leaflet and specific literature as an introduction to the topic. Other folders contain Roman legal sources like the Corpus Iuris Civilis (cf. question 10) or fundamental works on the respective core topic (e.g., “Roman Egypt”).

When working with papyri, the folder “Papyrus Editions” should be consulted: here, numerous papyri are found in searchable PDF files, organized by their abbreviations. It should be noted that editions sometimes include a translation. Therefore, if you do not master Ancient Greek, do not be discouraged: how to obtain translations is explained in detail in question 6.

Also available in the seminar apparatus under “Files” is the Chair’s library catalogue (Excel spreadsheet), which lists all works held physically in the Chair’s own library collection, along with their shelf marks. For further guidance, cf. question 4.

The Chair (RAI H 131) houses a small yet, in the field of Juristic Papyrology, already rather extensive library. It contains literature on various areas of ancient law. In addition to Roman law, this includes, for example, Egyptian and Greek law, as well as fundamental works and lexica. The collection of handbooks and teaching works is complemented by the library’s centrepiece, namely a rich array of series of papyrus editions (for the different types, cf. question 8). The library’s physical holdings are continually supplemented and organised.

In addition, the Chair maintains a broad collection of digitised texts. If a personal visit is not possible, scanned versions may be requested by email (lst.alonso@ius.uzh.ch). When visiting in person, the library regulations must be observed. If a passage is to be scanned, please bring your personal UZH Card and a USB stick.

To assist with orientation within the library, a classification scheme with shelf marks organised by subject is available. Seminar participants also have access to a digital table listing all works with additional information and their respective shelf marks (cf. question 3). Before visiting the library, this table should be consulted to verify whether the desired work is available and what its shelf mark is (you may need to scroll to the right in order to view the “shelf mark” column). The document can be searched by pressing Command+F (Mac) or Ctrl+F (Windows). If the search does not work immediately, it may be necessary to click on the grey box in the top left corner between the column letter and row number.

The following abbreviations, which are regularly used for source references, should ideally be familiar:

D.: Digesta (from the Corpus Iuris Civilis)
C.: Codex (from the Corpus Iuris Civilis)
Gai Inst.: Institutiones Gai (Institutes of Gaius)
Inst.: Institutiones Iustiniani (from the Corpus Iuris Civilis)
Nov.: Novellae (from the Corpus Iuris Civilis)
O.: Ostracon (usually a potsherd with inscriptions or drawings)
P.: Papyrus
PSI: Papiri della Società Italiana (available online)
Ps.-: Pseudo-author, i.e. the text demonstrably does not originate from the attributed author of an ancient literary source (a detailed list is available here)
SB: Sammelbuch, cf. question 8 (for papyri not included in a standard edition; the Roman numeral indicates the volume, the Arabic numeral the item number within the Sammelbuch)
T.: Tablets (lat. Tabulae; wooden tablets, about hand-sized, coated with wax and used in Roman documents as writing surfaces)

For papyri, P. stands for papyrus, the following abbreviation indicates the standard edition in which the papyrus has been published (e.g. Eleph. for Elephantine), the Roman numeral represents the corresponding volume, and the Arabic numeral the text number within that volume.

Occasionally, papyrus editions are not abbreviated with P., for instance, BGU (Aegyptische Urkunden aus den Königlichen [later Staatlichen] Museen zu Berlin), CPR (Corpus Papyrorum Raineri), among others. A comprehensive list of papyrus abbreviations can be found at papyri.info under “Checklist of Editions”. Each abbreviation links to a full bibliographic entry of the source, which is a useful tool for further research. This works in both directions: one can find the written-out form of an abbreviation, or conversely, the abbreviation of a relevant edition.

Additionally, extensive lists of abbreviations for Corpora, Series, Ostraca, as well as various auxiliary works and lexica, are also available online.

For further guidance on papyrological research, cf. question 6.