The Archaeology of the Byzantine State – A Non-Specialist's Approach (original) (raw)

The Avars, Byzantium and Italy. A Study in Chorology and Cultural History.

Varia Archaeologica Hungarica XXXI, 2019

3.4.3. Spatial and chronological indications of cultural differences ������������������������������� 3.4.3.1. Regional disparities between adjacent regions ������������������������������������������� 3.4.3.2. Chronological disparities in regional distributions ����������������������������������� 3�4�4� Costume ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3�4�5� Identities ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 3.4.5.1. Group identities ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3.4.5.2. Personal identities ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3.4.6. Ethnic traits ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4. The "Byzantine" connections of the Avar-period material �������������������������������������������������������� over the past decades-Birds of a feather indeed flock together. My oldest friendship is with Tivadar Vida: I cannot think of any issue, nor of the tiniest detail, that I have not discussed with him. During the past years, we kept each other updated about our ongoing work: he was toiling away on his dissertation, 1 I on the present volume. He was kind enough to read through the draft version of the book's manuscript and suggest some additions and corrections. I have benefited immensely from Ádám Bollók's extraordinary familiarity with the academic literature and his capacity for fresh and imaginative analysis as well as from his insightful comments; he provided some of the much-needed literature and he was also kind enough to assist me with various administrative issues. I am greatly indebted to Ádám Bíró, Gergely Csiky and Gergely Szenthe for their many insights and valuable comments on the first draft version of this manuscript. I wish to thank Ágnes B. Tóth for her keen observations, Erwin Gáll for keeping me constantly updated on research in Transylvania, Erika Juhász for her assistance in navigating some of the Byzantine sources and Raimar Kory for guidance through the maze of less-known ethnographic and sociological literature. I am particularly grateful to Walter Pohl, with whom we worked simultaneously on many issues of Avar history and archaeology; he was always generous with his advice and knowledge. I have received constant support from my workplace, the Institute of Archaeology of the Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and its Director, Elek Benkő, and from the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut and its Secretary-in-Chief, Philipp von Rummel. I began writing this book as part of the "Byzantium in Central and Eastern Europe (Studies in Archaeology and Art History)" research project generously funded by the National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA Grant NK 72636, 2008-2012). I wish to thank the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and its President, László Lovász in particular, and the Ministry of the Prime Minister's Office for enabling the publication of this book. Thanks are due to Magdaléna Seleanu for the English translation and to the staff of Archaeolingua Publishing for seeing the manuscript through to publication. 1 Henceforth abbreviated as Vida (in prep.) 2. SETTING THE AGENDA: THEMES AND APPROACHES "The Avars and Italy"-although archaeological research on the Avars looks back on a long past, Attila Kiss can be credited with pointing out that this contact had actually existed and should therefore be discussed, and that it does indeed have a relevance for Avar studies. He first formulated this assertion as the title to a chapter in his book, 3 whereby he introduced an entirely new perspective to the study of the "Byzantine" (as well as the late antique!) connections of the Avar find material. In 2000, Falko Daim too opened new avenues of research in this field. 4 I myself personally realised the potential rewards of a more meticulous study of Avar-Italian relations in 1989, when I had the opportunity to visit the excavations at the Crypta Balbi and personally examine the finds, after which I strove to keep abreast of the early medieval finds brought to light in Italy. I first addressed this issue at an international conference, 5 and then in relation to the Nagyszentmiklós Treasure in 2004, 6 which ultimately inspired the conference held at the Hungarian Academy in Rome in 2008 with the goal of looking at this issue from a broader perspective and in an international context. 7 Some of the themes explored at greater length here were first raised in my paper, "The Avars and Italy", read at the conference. The issue of "What is Avar?", "What is Byzantine?" and of the direction whence "Byzantine" impacts reached the Avars has preoccupied me much longer, ever since I read Oleg Grabar's book in which he raised the question of "What is Islamic?" in the early 1980s. 8 Here, I shall pursue this earlier avenue, 9 although I shall principally focus on a single aspect of the Whole, the many potential components of the Avar archaeological material. In the wake of a comprehensive survey of the current state of Byzantine studies 10 and the meticulous studies on goldsmithing techniques 11 that are of interest to any student of Central and Eastern European archaeology, I am now aware that given the Byzantine Empire's continuous shifts in space and time and its immense cultural diversity, this question is essentially irrelevant and there is no universally valid answer. The lack of in-depth enquiries into Avar-Italian relations until quite recently is quite baffling, 12 particularly since the Avar Khaganate and the Langobardic Kingdom were neighbours. We know that Alboin and Bayan concluded a peace treaty in 566, which was renewed by King Agilulf between 591 and 593; additionally, a few solidi minted in Italy (Fig. 3. 2) have since long been known from the Carpathian Basin. Thus, the question inevitably arises as to whether there are any traces of these relations in the archaeological record. Yet, all that has actually happened is that works covering Avar history duly mention the peaceful relations or, conversely, the occasional hostilities with the Langobards, while the general practice in archaeological studies for long decades was to merely cite 3

Byzantium in Change: Art, Archaeology and Society in the Thirteenth Century. Thematic Session co-organized with Dr. Jenny Albani at the XXIII International Congress of Byzantine Studies (Belgrade, 22-27 August 2016)

Byzantium in Change: Art, Archaeology and Society in the 13th c. Convenors: Jenny Albani (Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Hellenic Open University) Ioanna Christoforaki (Academy of Athens) The year 1204, when Byzantium was conquered by the participants of the Fourth Crusade, marks a major and violent change on several levels, including politics and the economy, society and religion, as well as art and culture. The once powerful empire experienced both the humiliation of foreign occupation and its political subjugation. After its re-establishment in 1261, Byzantium had become a shrunken state, surrounded by aggressive enemies, while a number of its vital areas, such as Crete, Cyprus and the Ionian islands remained under foreign rule. These changes influenced not only the artistic output but the everyday life of the Byzantines as well. New ideas, new preferences and new techniques are attested in architecture, painting, sculpture and minor arts, all of which developed a new dynamic. Although the changes which occurred during the thirteenth century, both in archaeology and society, have been examined in the past, a re-evalution of old and new data, combined with a fresh look on recent archaeological finds, is long overdue. The Thematic Session, entitled Byzantium in Change. Art, Archaeology and Society in the 13th c., aims to provide a well-rounded and balanced overview of this troubled century, by examining the transformations created and developed within the new framework of co-existence among Byzantines, Latins, Slavs and Ottomans. The main focus will be on architecture, painting and material culture, as attested in key political entities of the now fragmented Byzantine territory. The participants in the Thematic Session, chosen to represent both established and younger scholars from Greece and abroad, are art and architectural historians, material culture experts and field archaeologists. They have been asked to explore issues relating to the artistic expression of the encounter between Byzantium and the West; the continuity, change or adaptation of artistic trends before and after 1204, both in urban centres and the countryside; and the archaeological testimonies for interaction, opposition or symbiosis, both on official and local levels.

Byzantine monuments and topography 1985

Çorum , Amasya , Tokat , SAmsun , Girasun gümüşhane ve Trabzondaki evliya çelebi alıntılarına göre eski köy ve yerleşke adları , eski roma hristiyan tarihi eserleri . kelkit nehri kıyısı olan tarihi belgeler

"Proceedings of the Plenary Sessions. The 24th International Congress of Byzantine Studies" edited by Emiliano Fiori and Michele Trizio

Proceedings of the Plenary Sessions. The 24th International Congress of Byzantine Studies, 2022

OPEN ACCESS: http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-590-2 The present volume collects most of the contributions to the plenary sessions held at the 24th International Congress of Byzantine Studies, and incisively reflects the ever increasing broadening of the very concept of ‘Byzantine Studies’. Indeed, a particularly salient characteristic of the papers presented here is their strong focus on interdisciplinarity and their breadth of scope, both in terms of methodology and content. The cross-pollination between different fields of Byzantine Studies is also a major point of the volume. Archaeology and art history have pride of place; it is especially in archaeological papers that one can grasp the vital importance of the interaction with the so-called hard sciences and with new technologies for contemporary research. This relevance of science and technology for archaeology, however, also applies to, and have significant repercussions in, historical studies, where – for example – the study of climate change or the application of specific software to network studies are producing a major renewal of knowledge. In more traditional subject fields, like literary, political, and intellectual history, the contributions to the present volume offer some important reflections on the connection between Byzantium and other cultures and peoples through the intermediary of texts, stories, diplomacy, trade, and war.

Palaeobalkan-Westanatolian Community – Explanation and Territorial Scope

ÉTUDES BALKANIQUES LV/3, À l’occasion du XIIe Congrès d’études du Sud-Est européen, Bucarest 2019; n hommage à la mémoire de Vassilka Tăpkova-Zaïmova, Professeure d’histoire byzantine et balkanique, 2019

In this text the term Palaeobalkan-Westanatolian community is proposed to replace the other terms used: Thracian-Phrygian ethno-cultural community, the Pelasgo-Thracian circumaegean community, Mycenaean Thrace, Circumpontic macro-zone and others. Adopting the existence of the Palaeobalkan-Westanatolian community makes it possible to avoid long introductions explaining why parallels between the Balkans and Western Anatolia are made. The scholars can compare political models, functions of the kings, religious doctrines, and interpretations of archaeological complexes, especially cult objects. Besides, information from the Greek literary tradition could be referred to surrounding, non-literary societies with a great deal of confidence. Using the spiral retrospection method, information about later historical periods could also be referred to earlier periods. Keywords: Ancient Anatolia, Phrygia, Lydia, Ancient Thrace, Palaeobalcan Cultures

Early Byzantine Finds from Čečan and Gornji Streoc (Kosovo), Starinar LV (2005), 2006, 133-159.

Starinar, 2005

In this article, we presented the archaeological finds from ^e~an and Gornji Streoc -hill-forts on Mount ^i~evica in the immediate vicinity of Vu~itrn (Kosovo). We studied the archaeological material from the Roman, Late Roman and, in particular from the Early Byzantine period. A large number of archaeological objects and especially iron tools found on the ^e~an and Gornji Streoc fortresses indicate a well-developed level of production in the crafts and iron manufacturer. We emphasize the importance of these fortresses in Late Roman times and we highlight the fortification of the interior regions of Illyricum. This suggests that Dardania had a considerable population in the Late Roman period as is confirmed by the many fortresses constructed throughout the entire region, often on almost inaccessible terrain.