Chapter 14. An Imperial Territory (Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman Periods) (original) (raw)

Anthropological Research on a Byzantine Population from Korytiani, West Greece

The Byzantine period, in what is today considered to be the geographical area of Greece, was characterized by extended movements of population and several political upheavals. Our main information for this period comes from the few existing written records and sporadic archaeological excavations. 1 The historical sources allow us to piece together the basic political and military history of the whole Byzantine Empire and provide considerable information about isolated events, but they are significantly biased in their focus on rulers and dynasties and they do not provide much information about the economy, society, ordinary people, or daily life. 2 In comparison, the archaeological evidence is abundant and informative, but it has not been used as fully as it ought to be. In addition, because the interest of earlier excavators was on the Classical or prehistoric periods, the Byzantine remains from these archaeological sites were frequently ignored or, even worse, completely destroyed in the rush to uncover earlier levels. 3 For these reasons, we have practically no information on the anthropological structure of the various populations of Byzantine Greece, and a very limited understanding of their everyday life, health conditions, demographic movements, and general biological existence.

A Byzantine Settlement in Kalabaklı Valley in the Hellespontus: Kepez

Höyük, 2012

The Hellespont stood out with its geographical location in the production-consumption and shopping relationships between the Aegean and the Marmara regions in the close distance and between the Black Sea and the Mecliterranean regions in the long clistance in the Byzantine period. The geographical characteristics of the strait displayed three distinct characters. The common feature of the Byzantine coastal cities and settlements in these three regions is that they had a port on the shore of the strait. These ports were generally located at the mouth of the valleys formed by the streams that had reached the Hellespontl. We are conducting a project to detect the finds of the Byzantine period and to understand the setdement models on these valleys. The data we obtained from these project studies indicate that the valleys had been densely settled in the Byzantine period. It is understood that one of the densely settled valleys in the Byzantine period was the Kalabakh Valley (Fig.1) on the Anatolian shore of the middle section of the strait. During our surveys, considerable ceramic and roof covering materials of Byzantine period were documented in Kepez at the northwestern mouth of the Kalabakh Valley2. In addition, there are four coins of Byzantine period that were found in Kepez and conserved in Çanakkale Archaeology Museum, i.e. a half follis of Justin II and Queen Sophia3 (565-578) (Fig.19.1), a half follis of Leo IV and Constantine VI (775-80) 4 (Fig.19.2) and two class A2 anonymous folles of Basil II (976-1025) 5 (Fig.19.3-4). The finding areas of the pottery and roof covering materials are concentrated in three different areas (Fig.2). The first one among them is an approximately 350-meter-long and 75meter-wide area on the shore of the Hellespont. In this area there are two units, which extend parallel to the coast in north-south direction and remain under water in the periods

THE END OF BYZANTINE RULE IN NORTH-EASTERN PONTUS

Материалы по археологии, истории и этнографии Таврии, 2017

The current belief in the continuity of Byzantine rule at Cherson and in other regions of Crimea, as well as on the Taman peninsula, in the 12th century needs to be revised in the light of two recently published seals. This study traces the waning of the Byzantine power at Cherson in the late 1060 — early 1070’s. A short-lived attempt to install a Byzantine doux at Tamatarkha in the person of the Rus’ian exiled prince Oleg-Michael takes place ca. 1083 and is celebrated in Emperor Alexios I Komnenos’ panegyric by Manuel Straboromanos. In addition to Tamatarkha, his former princedom, the Empire transfers under his authority territories in eastern Crimea, designated as Khazaria, essentially the resort of the strategos of Sugdea. Soon, however, probably by the late 1080’s, Oleg-Michael abandons his imperial allegiance. After these dates, neither Cherson not Tamatarkha will ever again be part of the imperial military and administrative structures. Keywords: Byzantium, Cherson, Khazaria, Tamatarkha, Tmutorokan, Sugdea, Bosporos, Kerch, Oleg-Michael, George Tzoulas, katepano, strategos.

A BYZANTINE SETTLEMENT IN KALABAKLI VALLEY IN THE HELLESPONTUS: KEPEZ

The Hellespont stood out with its geographical location in the production-consumption and shopping relationships between the Aegean and the Marmara regions in the close distance and between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean regions in the long distance in the Byzantine period. The geographical characteristics of the strait displayed three distinct characters. The common feature of the Byzantine coastal cities and settlements in these three regions is that they had a port on the shore of the strait. These ports were generally located at the mouth of the valleys formed by the streams that had reached the Hellespont 1 . We are conducting a project to detect the finds of the Byzantine period and to understand the settlement models on these valleys. The data we obtained from these project studies indicate that the valleys had been densely settled in the Byzantine period. It is understood that one of the densely settled valleys in the Byzantine period was the Kalabaklı Valley ( on the Anatolian shore of the middle section of the strait. During our surveys, considerable ceramic and roof covering materials of Byzantine period were documented in Kepez at the northwestern mouth of the Kalabaklı Valley 2 . In addition, there are four coins of Byzantine period that were found in Kepez and conserved in Çanakkale Archaeology Museum, i.e. a half follis of Justin II and Queen Sophia 3 (565-578) , a half follis of Leo IV and Constantine VI (775-80) 4 ( .2) and two class A2 anonymous folles of Basil II (976-1025) 5 .