Justinian

History can be often viewed as a simple science, but its techniques and methods of verification of facts and analysis of documentary sources are more complex and efforts-consuming than it may seem from the first glance. Documentary analysis is of particular importance. The aim of this essay is to analyse encyclopaedic article on emperor Justinian 527-565 A.D. by James Allan Evans. It is analysed from the point of its aim and general documentary analysis. In this regard, three issues are addressed - context, evidence and questions. Key words: Justinian, documentary analysis, context, evidences, Christianity Justinian Although history can be often viewed as quite simple science about description of the past events, its techniques and methods of verification of facts and analysis of documentary sources are extremely complex and efforts-consuming. Documentary analysis is of particular importance because it can be applied for analysis and comprehension of the contemporary texts. The aim of the present paper is to analyse encyclopaedic article on emperor Justinian 527-565 A.D. by James Allan Evans from the point of its aim. In order to answer the aforementioned question, general documentary analysis should be conducted. In this regard, three issues should be addressed - context, evidence and questions. The present text is an encyclopaedic article, which aims at introduction of the historical time frame to a wide audience of readers. This is conditioned by relative simplicity of the language and descriptive character of narration. Another evidence of that is that it is located on the website devoted to roman emperors. Nevertheless, the article corresponds to the academic requirements of a professional, historical writing, which is chronological accuracy of narration, support of statements by sources original materials of historians contemporary to the described period. In other words, this article corresponds to the status of the author, who is a professor of Eastern and Religious studies at the University of British Columbia. The assumption concerning wide audience is conditioned article's public placement and quite comprehensible manner of narration. On the other hand, it can be argued that it aims at people interested in the chosen topic. Potential source of biases might be author himself, who might have personal sympathy to the studied period and the emperor himself. This can be also conditioned by the fact that as a specialist in Religious studied, Evans would view Justinian as a unifier of rival Christian sects and destroyer of the last pagan cults of Samaritans and Manichaeans (Evans, 1998). Another aspect of this controversy might be the fact that the whole period is described from the point of the ruling class of the Byzantine end Justinian himself. Thus, no references to the implications of his actions to the regional international relations were made. On the other hand, the article aimed at the commemoration of his rule. The main evidences proving that the text was written in order to praise Justinian as an emperor were that the whole story was narrated from the human perspective of his private life, way to power, …