The Development of Byzantine Studies in Italy in the First Decades of the Twentieth Century Facing the International Context

Although the growth of Byzantine studies in Italy has generally been hindered by a deep‑seated prejudice against a historical period viewed as an era of servitude and antithetical to the values of ancestral Roman identity, starting from the early decades of the twentieth century both cultural institutions and scholars from various disciplines – literature, history, archaeology – began to dedicate their studies to the world of Byzantium. This article aims to shed light on this cultural phenomenon – one that was not devoid of political interests – by tracing the growing participation of Italian scholars in the early international Byzantine congresses, from the inaugural meeting in Bucharest to the fifth congress held in Rome, with particular attention to the conduct of the Italian delegation at the Third Congress in Athens.