2.28 FC – Inscribing in Byzantium and Beyond I

This paper examines the spatial distribution of religious inscriptions dated to the reign of Justinian I (AD 527–565) in Western Anatolia. By utilizing published epigraphic data—primarily from cities such as Sardis and Ephesos—and applying Geographic Information Systems (GIS), this research explores the changing religious landscape during a period marked by significant theological and political transformations….

During recent excavations in the fortified coastal complex of the Monastery of Agios Paulos on Mount Athos, an inscription was discovered carved on a fragment of a marble sarcophagus. It was first reported at the end of the 19th century but it appears to have been lost in the early years of the 20th century….

The lack of distinctive typologies for pilgrimage monuments has been noted before for Byzantine architecture. Additionally, past pilgrimage activities do not necessarily leave archaeologically detectable traces, and in the absence of textual and epigraphic evidence, identifying a site as a pilgrimage center is often a challenge. The situation is different, though, in the rupestrian complex…

Within the scope of this paper, new finds that can be included in the group of inscribed artifacts dated to the centuries during and immediately after the transformation of the imperial capital from the city-state of Byzantion to Constantinoupolis will be interpreted in terms of their contribution to the historical topography and socio-economic life of…