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Byzantium, throughout its thousand-year reign, left a significant legacy that continues to be rediscovered within the framework of modern academic studies. The Byzantine Empire embodied the heritage of Hellenic culture and tradition alongside the continuity of the Roman Empire. However, its most distinct characteristic, besides the two aforementioned, was Christianity in its specific form known as the Eastern Orthodox tradition. A pivotal moment for the modern study of philosophy within Byzantium arrived in the mid-20th century. This specifically refers to the publication of Byzantine Philosophy by Vasilios Tatakis in Emil Bréhier's History of Philosophy series (1949). In the introductory remarks of this work, Tatakis emphasizes that while increased interest in Byzantium emerged in the 18th century, philosophy often seemed to be an afterthought within this growing focus. John of Damascus (8th century) did not live within the borders of the Byzantine Empire, but rather in Damascus, which was then part of the Umayyad Caliphate. Nevertheless, his significant influence can be traced primarily within Byzantine philosophy and literature, particularly through his work Dialectica. Additionally, his contribution to culture is evident in the preservation of visual art and the veneration of icons within Byzantium, thanks to his theoretical considerations and persistent rhetorical and polemical writings. Furthermore, his rich literary output encompasses both poetry and prose works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 988, under the leadership of Kinyaz Viladimer, Russians accepted Christianity through the Patriarchate of Constantinople and entered a new phase in their history. With Christianity, the Russians were introduced to writing and, most importantly, to religious texts. At the same time, this religious conversion also led to the acceptance of the belief of chosenness, which had spread to Christianity from Judaism. Nestor, a Russian priest who lived in the 12th century, wrote in his work that although Russians were the last community to accept Christianity, they would undertake important missions in the future. He also attributed a mission to the Russian society by referring to the biblical passage that the feet will be the head and the head will be the feet. However, in the mentioned centuries, the Eastern Roman Empire was still the center of Orthodoxy. For this reason, the Russian Orthodox Church would remain for many years as a Metropolitanate under the Patriarchate of Constantinople. However, the increasing Ottoman pressure on Constantinople from the 1400s onwards created several historical opportunities for the Russians. In particular, the Byzantine agreement with the Pope of Rome in Florence in 1439 mobilized the Russian Church. Using this agreement as a pretext, Moscow severed its relations with Constantinople. In 1453, the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, the center of the Orthodox world, opened a new page in Russian Theo-politics. Russian priests believed that Nestor's prophecy had been fulfilled and Moscow developed the concept of the Third Rome. Appearing in the 16th century, the Moscow-Third Rome concept soon became the ideological basis for the formation of the Moscow kingdom. In this article, the concept of Moscow Third Rome, which is one of the important turning points in Russian history, is analyzed through an analytical method. The background of the concept, the conditions that led to its emergence, its historical development and its reflections on the present day are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the aspects that caracterizes the period of the so-called Dominate (Dominatus) or Absolute Monarchy is the fact that the imperial power makes use of religion to legitimize itself. From another perspective, changes in the organization of the Imperial Chancery took place that reflect the reality of an absolute monarchy of divine right supported by a complex bureaucracy and a strong army, with important impact on the tax system. An exponential price increase characterizes the crisis of the 3rd century AD from Aurelian onwards and justifies Diocletian's despotism on economic issues. Characteristic of this epoch is an Imperial Government formed by several Emperors at the same time. A system of Imperial Tetrarchy was thus established. The radical change in the imperial policy concerning Christianity took place under Emperor Constantine. After the Milan Agreement (313 AD), Constantine assumed himself more and more as the protector of the Church, collaborating with the Bishops in their fight against heresy and legislating favourably towards Christianity. The definitive division of the Empire into two took place after the death of Emperor Theodosius I, Augustus in the East between 379 and 394 AD, only Emperor in 394/395 AD, with two Emperors, one in the Eastern Roman Empire, the other in the Western Roman Empire. The so-called Barbarian Invasions, that is, the assault of several Germanic tribes and tribal groups on Roman territory in the 5th century has caused the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Yet the Eastern Half of the Empire continued to exist. In the 5th century the Western Roman State underwent a gradual disintegration. The conclusion of foedera, that is, treaties with Non-Roman Barbarian Groups which contained a right to settle on the territory of the Roman Empire, were instruments of power, to which the weakened Roman Emperors resorted in order to be able to continue to assert their claim to sovereignty over the territory of the Roman Empire. For other reasons, too, the authority of the Roman emperors came under scrutiny. The spread of the so-called patronage in both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires means, for example, that prominent personalities such as imperial officials and large landowners maintain private armies (e.g.: buccellarii) that act in their own interest and are not in the service of the common good. Especially after the reign of Majorian (457-461 AD), the disintegration of the Western Roman State could no longer be stopped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in analyzing the manufacturing techniques of Byzantine church doors in laboratory settings. However, the connection between the iconography and significance of the décor of church doors and their liturgical performativity, as well as their parallels with iconostases in Byzantium, remained a relatively underexplored area of study. This article seeks to delve deeper into these intersections. By focusing on the relationship between the iconography of church doors in Middle to Late Byzantium and their connection to the sacred space and liturgical practices, I aim to shed light on how these artworks played a crucial role in the sacred experience of the Byzantines. This exploration will not highlight only the aesthetic evolution of church door artwork but also emphasize the communal and embodied nature of the religious experience during the Byzantine era. Their intricate designs were not merely decorative elements but served as portals to the divine, enriching the salvation journey of worshippers as they crossed the threshold into the liturgical spaces. By conducting an examination of the development of door iconography and their symbolism throughout the empire's history, the transformation of narrative depictions from the Middle Byzantine era to the Palaiologan period, culminating in a convergence of symbolic meanings within the sacred space of the church, is delineated. This transformation is further exemplified by a sculpted church door from the Principality of Wallachia. By bridging the gap between art history and religious studies, this article aims to rekindle interest in the profound symbolism and significance of Byzantine church doors and their relation to sacred liturgical space, offering a broader perspective on an important aspect of Byzantine heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work represents an overview of the cultural impact of the Eastern Roman Empire on the development of monastic libraries in medieval Italy from the 6th to 13th century through the creation of manuscripts, their safekeeping in the monastic communities and their distribution among the clergy. Special attention will be given to the southern parts of Italy, the city of Rome and the Exarchate of Ravenna, during the supremacy of the royal court in Constantinople and the reign of the Normans, which was shortly stopped after the 8th-century Arab conquest of the southern parts of the Peninsula. The organisation of monastery libraries will be described referring to the monastic rules based on the ones created in eastern parts of Europe and Asia. The impact on manuscript illustration in different parts of Byzantine Italy is also described, as well as scribal and translation activity that started in the 6th and continued up to the 13th century. This activity, together with the refuge of the Romans with personal libraries to Italy, before and after the fall of Constantinople in the year 1453. helped the preservation of Greek thought of antiquity and the Byzantine era for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NEW AND DISTINCT CERAMIC TYPES emerged from the cultural centres of the Islamic Caliphate in Western Asia beginning in the eighth century AD. Islamic potters carefully added colour, glaze, and finishes to their vessels, which became luxury items throughout the Caliphate. People within the sphere of influence of the Islamic Caliphate slowly adopted objects, such as unique styles of glazed pottery, which symbolised status and power. The Byzantine Empire and Islamic Caliphate both influenced the material culture of the Southern Caucasus, which ebbed and flowed between them both. In particular, the emerging Caucasian polities in medieval Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan began to produce splashed sgraffito ceramics in the 9th and 10th centuries AD that were very similar to those created by Islamic potters in centres such as Baghdad, Samarra, and Nishapur. Scholars have explained such changes in Caucasian consumption patterns as the result of influence and trade between the Islamic Empire and the Caucasus; however, they have not considered the cultural implications of such a change. My paper discusses how Caucasian elites and eventually even the peasantry used splashed sgraffito to construct their individual and group identities. I examine three sites from the Caucasus where local potters produced and used splashed sgraffito ceramics. I assess Ani in Armenia, Shamkir in Azerbaijan, and Tbilisi in Georgia. My analysis suggests that ceramics played a larger role in the construction of political and individual identity at a time when independent kingdoms were emerging in the Caucasus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article concerns issues connected with references to wild animals in a variety of sources, reflecting Byzantine social practices primarily connected with hunting. Hunting here is understood in the broadest possible sense. It should be remembered that the function of providing food through hunting was marginal in the Byzantine context; propaedeutic and prestigious functions of hunting were dominant. The activities discussed therefore include: game keeping, gifting exotic animals in the course of diplomacy and keeping them in captivity, hunting during military training, fishing (regarded in Byzantine culture as a form of hunting), and pigeon breeding. This requires a rich and diverse bibliographical basis. It should be emphasised that information concerning wild animals in legislation is scant and scattered. Byzantine law did not specify in detail either how hunting should take place or people's attitude towards wild animals, except concerning issues connected with ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Far from being a natural, prelapsarian state, cisness is a hegemonic ideal of gender performance demanded of all people. This article explores the construction of cisness in the field of Byzantine studies, and the historiographical tropes through which it is maintained, naturalised and made invisible. It uses analysis of hegemonic cisness in Byzantine studies to suggest new avenues of investigation for Byzantine gender history. It proposes 'cisness' as method; a focal point for historical and historiographical investigation. It asks, was there cisness in Byzantium? If so, did it resemble ours? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological plant remains are key data in the identification of the material consequences of imperial interventions in past local lifeways. In this paper, the spatial and stratigraphic analysis of plant remains preserved in a hypothesized kitchen context from the archaeological site of Dhiban, Jordan, is presented in detail. This context is dated to ca. a.d. 570–640 based on 16 AMS dates, a time when the Dhiban community was part of and located at the eastern edge of the Byzantine empire. Analysis of over 130 point-provenienced flotation samples reveals a local emphasis on the agricultural production of wheat, peas, and grape, in spite of the challenges of water management in a semi-arid landscape. Comparison with other nearby and contemporaneous sites indicates that while all grew a similar suite of crops, their frequencies vary, possibly indicating a community of agricultural practice specializing in different foodstuffs or crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Journeys of the Mind: A Life in History" by Peter Brown is a book that explores the career and contributions of Peter Brown, a prominent figure in the field of late antiquity. While scholars before him had examined the transition from the Roman Empire to medieval Europe, Brown played a crucial role in establishing late antiquity as a distinct historical period. The book details Brown's early life, his research questions, and his encounters with anthropological approaches that influenced his work. It also highlights his friendships with Michel Foucault and Paul Veyne, which shaped his understanding of sexuality and monastic renunciation. Overall, "Journeys of the Mind" offers a personal and comprehensive account of Brown's career and the development of late antiquity as a field of study. [Extracted from the article]

The article deals with one of the earliest Christian interpretations of the supreme secular power created by Eusebius Pamphilus, Bishop of Caesarea, during the life of the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great. It is proved that the concept by Eusebius contains mythological ideas transformed in a Christian context. In particular, the main focus of the interpretation of the Lord is the recognition of Him as Pantocrator [Παντοκράτωρ – the Lord of all] endowed with infinite power and authority over the Universe. Such an interpretation reconstructs archaic ideas about the deity as the centre of power and says nothing about his mercy and justice. This concept became the basis for the argumentation of the absolute nature of the Christian emperor’s supreme power – Basileus [Βασιλεύς]. The Lord, communicating with Basileus through His Son, Christ the Logos, gives him the sacred right to reign and thus makes him godlike [Friend of God – Θεóς, divinely favoured] – an icon of the Lord of all. Another mythological feature of Eusebius’ interpretation of supreme power is the solution to the problematic relationship between the reign and the priesthood. Eusebius believed that the Lord’s endowment of Basileus with the right to reign obliges him to perform priestly functions at the same time. The purpose of Basileus’ priesthood was to enlighten his flock about the essence of the Word of God, and not to observe religious rituals. In this way, the role of the basileus-priest differed from the Patriarch. Thus, the mythological nature of the concept by Eusebius of Caesarea is the fact that he unconsciously replaced various semantic connections. This happened because he could not explain the essence of supreme power and its value to society in a different way. The foundation of Eusebius’ mythological thinking is the beginning of the synthesized rationality (historical understanding of the real past) and myth (substitution of history by religious tradition) of the history of the Byzantine Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the Mongol conquest of Iran and the Transcaucasus has focused most heavily on the campaigns of Chinggis Khan and his nephew Hülegü, in 1219–1224 and 1256–1260 respectively. Significantly less attention has been given to the nearly four decades that separate these two invasions, during which Mongol control was consolidated by a tamma (garrison) army numbering roughly 30,000 soldiers. This garrison occupied a liminal position on the frontier of the Mongol empire, linking the great khan to regional vassals in Iran, Greater Armenia, Georgia, and eastern Anatolia. This paper will use the history of the tamma to illuminate the web of personal relationships that allowed the Mongol empire to project its authority into the Middle East. It will demonstrate that this network was extremely brittle during the first three decades after Chinggis Khan's death, during which time the Mongol empire was still taking shape. Founded by Chinggis Khan, the tamma owed its loyalty to the great khan in Mongolia, yet long interregnums and political instability at the heart of empire forced the Mongol garrison to identify regional princes and princesses as suitable substitutes for political authority. This collaborative approach embroiled the tamma in the factional politics at the heart of the Mongol empire and ultimately brought about its destruction in 1261. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The defeat of the Türkiye Saldjūḳ State (The State of Rūm/Anatolian Saldjūḳs) by the Mongols at Köse Dagh mobilised some elements such as Türkmens and Armenians, who were under the Saldjūḳs, and led to independence activities. After the death of Ghiyāth al-Dīn Kaykh̲usraw II, three inexperienced maliks and statesmen who used them for their own political ambitions remained. The period of Sultan Rukn al-Dīn Ḳilidj Arslan IV's joint and independent rule, which is the subject of this article, covers the period when many political events took place and the Türkiye Saldjūḳ State entered the process of collapse. As a matter of fact, various Türkmen uprisings occurred during this period. One of the reasons for the political, military, economic and social uprisings of the Türkmens, who came to the Saldjūḳ lands in large masses and played an important role in the formation of the state, was the relations of the aforementioned sultan with the statesmen, Mongols and Ilkhāns. Furthermore, the influence of Iranian statesmen in the administration, the struggle for dominance among the sultans and the polarisation forced Türkmens to take sides. The Türkmens, who mostly sided against Rukn al-Dīn Ḳilidj Arslan IV in the fight for the throne, caused bloody clashes and large-scale casualties during the decline of the Türkiye Saldjūḳ State. It was not possible to suppress these uprisings without the support of various nationalities and Mongol troops. The administrative weakness of the state naturally spread to its army as well. This article will analyse and evaluate the Türkmen revolts during the independent and joint reign of the Sultan Rukn al-Dīn Ḳilidj Arslan IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that the artists of the Venetian Renaissance were heavily influenced by the developing relations between the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman-Eastern Empire, and that they sometimes reflected these influences in their works. In the paintings of the Venetian School period, it is seen that the artists visualised the nature, architecture and cultural figures of the distant Ottoman Empire from a certain perspective. As a matter of fact, it is possible to see the manifestations of these images in a wide range, starting from more realistic depictions based on the impression of Ottoman-Eastern merchants or ambassadors strolling in Venetian squares to the "fantastic oriental" image presented by sacred texts. In this respect, this study analyses the impact of the humanitarian relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice on the arts; evaluates the presence of this interaction in the works of the prominent Venetian School artist Vittore Carpaccio and tries to explain with examples how the arts of the two societies affected the works of art depending on the growing relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of historical archaeology in the Mediterranean region, focusing on the last five centuries. It discusses the slow development of the field compared to other regions and introduces a collection of essays that offer diverse perspectives on Mediterranean historical archaeology. The article explores the challenges of defining the Mediterranean and its chronological periods, emphasizing the region's significance in history as a battleground, trade route, and place of cultural exchange. It also discusses the influence of political boundaries and national histories on the development of historical archaeology and highlights the need for engagement with local communities and a global perspective in research. [Extracted from the article]

The rulers of Byzantium and England are well known for their centralized nature and their active approach to diplomacy. Both powers often utilized treaties to bolster their military forces, and to undermine those of their foes. Of course, allegiance was not always clear-cut, with many powers having complex relations with their neighbours and the treaties catering to the conflicting obligations of those involved. This article focuses on the treaties of two of the most bureaucratic powers of the medieval world who have comparable treaty corpuses, utilizing the theme of military service to show that treaties were primarily pragmatic documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers archaeological evidence for various aspects of early Christian church building and comes to the conclusion that diversity was an essential quality of late antique Christianity. The diversity in question is ill-attested in written sources, but becomes apparent when the material record and everyday life are taken into consideration (cultural/material/pictorial/iconic turn). Church buildings looked and functioned differently in various regions and provinces of the late Roman empire. The diversity does not appear to have been accidental, but was cultivated throughout late antiquity. It was sometimes related to, but did not depend on, differences in liturgical practice, nor was it a matter of knowledge, ability, and workshop tradition alone. Provincial diversity was maintained even when and where the metropolitan alternative was manifestly known and available and although secular art and architecture continued to uniformly emulate the capital cities. A combination of written and material evidence suggests that the diverse formal repertoire of early Christian art and architecture was chosen and decided individually, but tended to form local/provincial/regional clusters. The decision makers seem to have been guided by religious conventions as well as by personal or political allegiances, many of which appear to have been determined locally, each province or region onto itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper publishes a Greek graffito on a Zeest 80 amphora, found in Negrilești, in the settlement of Sântana de Mureș-Chernyakhov culture. The words ΝΑΥΚΛΕΡ(...) ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΝ inscribed on the upper part of the amphora can be associated withprimary contentthetransport process -loading the container on the ship at the place of origin of the content. The characteristics of the amphora and the inscription are connected with the oil supply in the province of Scythia. The information highlights the trade connections of the settlements fromthe Lower Danube with the eastern provinces of Roman Empire at the end of the 3rd century, the beginning of the 4th century AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two splendid Oxford Handbooks deserve the opening slot of my review. The Handbook of Greek and Roman Mythography contains forty chapters, each of which closes with a helpful section on recommended further reading. The editors have organized the material in five very well-conceived parts. The first section, 'Mythography from Archaic Greece to the Empire', naturally wrestles with the question: When does mythography start? Two initial chapters provide their answers, and the rest of the contributions in this section offer an overview of mythography in Greek (Hellenistic and Imperial period) and Latin. The second section aims to provide an overview of individual mythographers: the stars of this section are Apollodorus, Antoninus Liberalis, Parthenius, Conon, and Hyginus. The eighteen chapters provide informative and concise introductions to authors who specialized in mythography, but also to the mythographic tendencies in authors such as Pausanias or Ovid, as well as in the scholia and even mythographical papyri. The third section is on the typical genres or interpretative models with which mythography tends to intersect: rationalizing historical approaches, philosophical allegoresis, etymologizing, catasterism, local historiography, paradoxography, creative approaches to mythography in ancient education, the role of mythography in political discourse, geography, and, finally, an investigation of the ancient terms used to designate the activity and the writings of a mythographer. The fourth section, 'Mythography and the visual arts', is a provocative and highly interesting experiment in viewing visual representations of myth as a mythography of sorts: can vases, frescoes, and sarcophagi be seen as visual pendants to literary mythography? These three contributions are all highly rewarding and thought-provoking. The closing, fifth, section offers richly rewarding discussions of the role of mythography in the age of Christianity, starting with the way early Christian writers draw on Greek and Latin mythographers, followed by chapters on mythography in the Byzantine Empire, the Latin West, and in the Renaissance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

However, it must be pointed out that because Manichaeism is a "source-rich" area of research and as such qualifies for international research funding, scholars active in Manichaean research, including the present reviewer, have pushed for Manichaean Studies to become a discipline in its own right independent of patristic studies. A major question for Manichaean scholars is how much access Mani had to Greek Christian writings or Syriac Christian writings of Greek origin. Given the importance of Manichaeism to the intellectual evolution of Augustine, the continuing interest of patristic scholars in Manichaeism is unabated. [Extracted from the article]

Women have existed in life since creation until today, sometimes they were sanctified, sometimes they were seen as witches and were tortured. Depending on the living conditions, they have sometimes come to the forefront and sometimes remained in the background, isolated from society. As in many empires, the place of women in the Byzantine Empire is undeniable. The Byzantine Empire appears as one of the important political organizations that continued its existence for more than a thousand years. Throughout this long period, the perception of women and their position in society has undergone changes. With the influence of the Christian religion and customary practices, women have taken their place in society. The presence of women, who are the cornerstone and indispensable part of society in every era, in the social life of the Byzantine Empire, their motherhood qualities, their roles as spouses, and marriage traditions constitute the subject of our research. The Byzantine Empire's view of women throughout its long existence and how they were positioned in society has been tried to be explained in a general narrative, based on sources and interpreted, and sometimes by giving specific examples. The aim of this research is to shed light on how women were positioned in Byzantine history by examining the perception of women and their perspective on marriage in Byzantine society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock-cut churches can be found throughout the Byzantine Empire. In Anatolia, examples can be found in the regions of Cappadocia, Phrygia, Lycaonia, and Thrace. The aim of this study was to determine the current status of the rock-cut religious buildings from the Byzantine period on the borders of Kirklareli and Edirne in Thrace and to examine and classify the identified buildings in terms of their periods and ground plan features and to show the historical and architectural values of these buildings. During the work process, a literature search was carried out to compare areas where rock-cut buildings are common. Written sources and drawings of these buildings were examined and field observations and photographs were taken. A total of nine buildings, seven from Kirklareli and two from Edirne, were examined as part of the study. Floor plan typologies, roof construction systems and architectural elements of the buildings were evaluated. It was found that although the floor plans are mostly single-aisled, there are also three-aisled and triconch examples and the roof construction system is generally a barrel vault. By examining the similarities and differences between the artifacts in Thrace and other regions, the original characteristics of the rock-cut religious structures were evaluated. It is possible to trace the rock-cut architecture in Thrace from the early to the late Byzantine period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will elucidate the philosophy of the image that developed in the wake of the Iconoclastic Controversy in the Eastern Christian Empire in the ninth Century. Iconophilia was finally reinstated after a wave of iconoclasm swept across the Empire. The controversy coincides with dramatic changes within the Byzantine empire, making it difficult to establish consensus amongst scholars regarding its possible causes. After discussing several of the theories that seek to explain the adoption of iconoclasm in the Byzantine Empire, we will seek to show how image veneration was transformed and differentiated from relic worship thanks to its encounter with iconoclasm. After reviewing icon veneration prior to the Iconoclastic Controversy, this article will elucidate the philosophy of the image developed by Patriarch Nicephorus in order to show how he differentiated veneration from idolatry by redefining the image as "similar to" (homoiosis) rather than consubstantial with (homoousios) its model. By differentiating image veneration from the theory of consubstantiality that was normative within Judaism and Islam, Christian philosophy of the image will differentiate resemblance from identity, inscription from circumscription, and thereby reveal iconoclasm to be in the eye of the beholder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attila, the ruler of the European Hun Empire, like his predecessor Hun rulers, established political and military relations with both Eastern and Western Roman empires. In the context of this article, Attila's relations with the Western Roman Empire were initially built on the basis of friendship and military alliance but later evolved into a process that would lead to the occupation of Gaul and Italy. Attila's invasion of Italy also included the plan to besiege the ancient capital Rome. This article deals with the historical course of Attila's relations with the Western Roman Empire based on available sources and tries to reveal the reasons behind Attila's invasion of Gaul and Italy and the consequences of these invasions for the Western Roman Empire and European history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, historians researching the seventh century ce have increasingly emphasized mobility, communications and connectivity across the Mediterranean world that supposedly included close contacts between the Franks and Byzantium. These studies, however, rely often on optimistic, maximum interpretations of the comparatively sparse source base, and have not always precisely distinguished between different forms of mobility and connectivity. This article argues that a closer examination of the actual cultural and political consequences of mobility and contact between Byzantium and Gaul is required, and that the possibility of discontinuity and disintegration should not be disregarded. In our reading of the sources, we deliberately adopt a sceptical, methodologically cautious minimal position: the textual sources can be interpreted as showing that, while individual, sporadic contacts across the Mediterranean continued to exist, there was no established, continuous practice of communications between Byzantium and Gaul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to shed light on the mobility of people and relics in the seventh century. It will show that Emperor Heraclius strategically designed his movements and those of his household, citizens, and officials, as well as those of relics within and beyond the borders of Byzantium, in order to consolidate the empire and his position in it. These movements also allowed Heraclius to associate himself effectively with Old Testament, antique, and Byzantine exemplary models of leadership. Overall, this look at mobility in terms of political ideology and propaganda provides a more nuanced understanding of imperial leadership in seventh‐century Byzantium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates stories of holiness which have ascetics or monastics as their hero(in)es and which develop based on a careful interlocking of two concepts: wanderings in urban or desert environments and self‐confinement in enclosed or secluded spaces. Through a close reading of two saints' Lives (i.e., the Life of Mary of Egypt and the Life of Matrona of Perge) dating to the early and middle Byzantine periods, the present analysis uncovers the tripartite relationship between movement, confinement, and spiritual advancement from a literary‐narrative point of view, thus deepening our understanding of asceticism and monasticism in Byzantine contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with forced migration experienced by subjects of the Byzantine Empire captured by foreign enemies in the context of warfare between the seventh and the tenth centuries. The focus of the first part is on the scenarios faced by individuals and groups when an enemy had taken control of a settlement or a larger territory. The second part discusses aspects of the role social status and gender played in the process of being taken over and then (possibly but not necessarily) held in captivity. Although one can trace similarities in the way captors treated their captives on different occasions, an overgeneralizing approach can prove misleading, distracting us from the dynamics of the consequences that war and abduction had on both the agency of the victor and the fate of the loser in the early Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article underlines the importance of approaching written sources for what they are: authorial constructs. This is true also for depictions of mobility and migration. Byzantine authors instrumentalized these for their own purposes beyond the event at hand. Authorial focus, along with the requirements of the chosen literary genre, is also the reason for the different scales of actors that appear in these texts, whether large blurry masses of nameless people, smaller groups with a distinct profile, or finely drawn individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Battle of the Gates of Trajan, 17 August 986, was a landmark event in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Ambushed and annihilated by a Bulgarian army, this humiliating military reverse played a significant role in shaping the long reign of Emperor Basil II, who would rule the Byzantine Empire for another thirty-nine years and lead it to what may be regarded as its military apogee. Yet this emphasis on its legacy has left the battle itself, and the campaign which preceded it, relatively unstudied. This paper seeks to rectify this oversight by reassessing the campaign in detail, employing logistical modelling and geographical research to reconstruct the mistakes which led to one of Byzantium's most infamous defeats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monograph "Evolution of Bulgarian Statehood from the 4th to the 9th Centuries" by Tsvetelin Stepanov explores the early history of Bulgaria, specifically the development of Bulgarian statehood during a period that is poorly documented but widely debated. Stepanov, a respected authority in Bulgarian medieval studies, delves into concepts such as "military democracy," "tribal union," and "early medieval statehood" to characterize the emergence and consolidation of Bulgaria within a world dominated by the Byzantium and Carolingian empires. The book consists of an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion, and a comprehensive index and bibliography, providing a theoretical framework, interpretations of evidence, and comparisons to other states of the time. The study concludes that early Bulgarian statehood was built on a unique synthesis of Roman and Steppe traditions, which endured until the end of the First Bulgarian Empire. This monograph is a significant contribution to the study of early medieval Bulgarian statehood and will be a valuable resource for future research in the field. [Extracted from the article]

The present paper discusses the reign of the Rubenid lord of Armenian Cilicia, Mleh (1170–1175), and examines his relations with the two great powers of the period, the Byzantine Empire and the Zengids under Nūr al-Dīn (1146–1174). Through examination of the contemporary sources of the period, the following conclusions may be drawn: Firstly, Manuel (1143–1180) did not send an expeditionary force against Mleh. On the contrary, Mleh faced and defeated the local Byzantine garrisons. Secondly, the Crusaders waged a campaign against Mleh in 1173, which was partially successful as it forced the Rubenid lord to recognize the suzerainty of the king of Jerusalem, albeit temporarily. Thirdly, a consequence of the Crusader success was the Byzantine re-conquest of the cities of the Cilician Plain. Finally, Mleh's status as a client of Nur al-Din does not relate to his religious identity. The sources make it clear that he remained a Christian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important part of the planning of every Roman city is the creation of a suitable road network and its infrastructure. Adjacent fora, as urban centers with administrative and commercial functions, played an important role in the life of the city society. Constantinople is no exception and it can be considered the last city built on the ancient model with planned road system and fora located along it. Given the remoteness of time, we do not have the complete information regarding these structures in the imperial capital. Some of the fora are well known, but others are subject to research through archaeological methods or analysis through the interpretation of the available written sources. Three of the fora in Constantinople are little known - the Forum of Leo is almost unknown, the Forum of Arcadius is also little known, and for the forum of Marcian, no written sources from the Byzantine era have reached us. In the present work, we will analyze and present the three fora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to data that is not entirely certain, in Bulgaria, 10% of the population, in Hungary 8%, and in Romania, 9 % are composed of communities of Gypsy origin (FACEBOOK:GEN:TR: 2023). It is controversially claimed that the Gypsy population in Turkey corresponds to 1% of the country's population. In Greece, there are approximately 300,000 Gypsies, while the average number is around 100,000 in Albania (official authorities had only given the figure as 1500 until recently), an estimated 200,000 in North Macedonia (the number of Gypsies in this country varies between 50,000 and 250,000 according to various sources), and the Gypsy population in Serbia is around 540,000 when Kosovo is included. The official Serbian population census data, by reducing the Gypsy population rate to one-fifth, state the total figure as 108,193, excluding Kosovo. The fact that the Gypsy population in the Balkans varies so much is generally the result of official authorities treating the Gypsy issue as "it doesn't exist". The lower the number of Gypsy (or Romani) communities subjected to negative discrimination in all regions they live in, the less budget they will be allocated, and the violations of Gypsies’ rights can be reduced proportionally. Gypsy migrations occurred at various times in the Ottoman Empire, which was a "Balkan Empire." Official records reveal that during the Byzantine Empire, about a century before the Turks, Gypsy blacksmiths and grooms worked in the Byzantine palace. Byzantine Gypsies worked for the palace and were assigned by the state to perform privileged specialized tasks. Turks, who began to be employed in the Empire before the Battle of Malazgirt, also started to work for the palace in similar occupations. In this respect, it can be inferred that Turks in the Byzantine palace initially started working alongside Gypsy master craftsmen. This small population of Gypsies and Turks in the palace had a different position after the Turks conquered Anatolia. Some of the Gypsy migration groups who entered Anatolia with the Turks stayed there, while it should not be forgotten that a significant portion of the nomadic Gypsies spread from here to the Balkans and Europe (DURAL, 2021). This paper tries to give brief explanation on the fate and the intersection points of the two nomadic societies Turks and the Gypsies’ througout history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empresses, in particular, always had a privileged place in the Byzantine Empire from its foundation to its collapse, and they played an important role in both politics and religious politics. One of these empresses is Pulcheria. Pulcheria played a very important role in both state affairs and religious affairs, from being empress as regent of her brother Theodosios II at the age of 15 until her death at the age of 54. The subject of the study is Pulcheria and its reflections on Byzantine art. In this context, Theotokos Khalkoprateia Church, Blakhernae Theotokos Church, Hodegetria Church and St. Laurence Church, which was built by Empress Pulcheria or at least led to its establishment, were examined in line with the sources of the period and the views of scientists. It is known that Pulcheria was a devout Christian and especially took on the guardianship of holy relics. Bringing the relics of St. Stephanos to Istanbul is also depicted on an ivory panel. It is known that Pulcheria brought many innovations to the imperial coin iconography. In this context, the innovations that Pulcheria brought to the imperial coin iconography were evaluated in the light of the coin samples of the period. Similar examples of the Steelyard Weight, which is thought to belong to Pulcheria, were examined and it was discussed why the busts of the emperor and empress were used in the scale knobs. In the evaluation and conclusion part, the works that are the subject of the study were evaluated comparatively with similar examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of studying the context in which churches were built in honour of the Theotokos or dedicated to her in North Africa, as well as in the rest of the Empire, during the sixth century, is to gain a more thorough understanding of Justinian I's political programme, the utility of unifying dogma and the religious conversion of dissident elements, such as pagans, Jews, Samaritans etc. These issues are addressed by analysing the spatial—principally architectural—and rhetorical superposition of Orthodox Christianity on the places of worship of other communities. It is held here that it is possible to demonstrate that this redefinition of space went a long way towards reinforcing the identity of provincial populations, especially in conflictive or border areas, which had to be secured within the territories that the Byzantine Empire had recently recovered so as to guarantee their political loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeytinliada is located 250 m offshore of Erdek District of Balikesir Province in the Sea of Marmara. The excavations on the island, known as Artake and Arteceon in Antiquity, started in 2006 and were completed in 2016. The Church of the Virgin Mary, located in the northeast of the island, was unearthed during the excavations carried out in 2006-2009. The church, dating to the Early Byzantine Period, has a basilica plan with 3 naves. In this study, 44 coins, among the small finds unearthed during the excavations in the church, were examined. Of the 44 coins found in the church, 36 were identified, and 8 could not be identified due to excessive deterioration. The coins described belong to the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empire Periods. Coins were minted during the dynastic years of 10 different emperors. The coins found in the Virgin Mary Church in Zeytinliada belong to 4 different mints and are in 7 different units. The earliest dated coins belong to AD 276-282, and the latest dated 1861. The majority of the coins are Byzantine coins, which are contemporary with the church, with 32 coins. 16 Byzantine coins are dated to the Early Byzantine Period and 2 Middle Byzantine Period. The coins we examined provide important information about the dating of the building and the coin circulation of the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed four records of questionable authenticity of total solar eclipses between the fourth and sixth centuries CE in Byzantine narrative sources. As it has been difficult to evaluate their credibility, they have not been utilised in modern astronomical studies. Three records originated in the fourth century, all of which have problems with accurate dating and provenance. The one remaining record concerns the total solar eclipse on 512 June 29. This study first reveals the problems with and questions around the reliability of all these records from astronomical perspectives based on the latest Δ T spline curve and recently proposed Δ T constraints. It then explores their philological and historical contexts to understand how and why these records were written. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

John the Apostle and the Evangelist stayed on Patmos, the island in the Dodecanese Archipelago, in the Aegean Sea, at the end of the 1st century AD, where he wrote the Apocalypse, the last canonic book of the New Testament. A millennium later, in 1088, the cleric Christodoulos established a monastery on Patmos dedicated to this great personality in Christian history. In the Monastery of St. John the Apostle, which had a rather tumultuous history during the next nine centuries, there is one of the largest and richest libraries of the type, which represents a particular treasure not only for the Monastery or the Orthodox Christianity in general, but for science and researchers of the past from various scientific fields who come to the Monastery from all parts of the world. The library collections in Patmos Monastery can be grouped into three categories: codices, documents and printed books. Speaking of codices, it is a well-known fact that the initial Christodoulos collection, which, as it turned out, had been the nucleus from which the voluminous treasury of many different manuscripts evolved, consisted of 330 manuscript codices. Thanks to the constant inflow, the number of manuscripts kept growing in later periods, so that by 1890 the collection consisted of an impressive 855 manuscripts. The library also contains around 150 documents dating from the Byzantine period, and this number excludes many official and unofficial documents. On the other hand, the number of documents dating from the post-Byzantine period is considerably larger - over 13,000. The post-Byzantine collection of documents includes many of those written in foreign languages, such as Latin (68), Romanian (36), and Turkish (1,300). The library collection of the Monastery of St. John the Apostle also contains around three thousand printed books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]