Harbours of Byzantium

Beyond general approaches to the study of Byzantine harbour archaeology, contributions in this volume offer a representative picture of harbour activities across the historical and geographical boundaries of the Byzantine Empire, providing the basis for future comparative research on a local, regional, and supra-regional level.

Christianity, Roman tradition and ideology, as well as Greek cultural heritage, have been labelled as the pillars of the Byzantine Empire. In fact, the real crux and enabler of power in an empire that combined the Occident with the Orient was its control over the seas. As such, seafaring constituted the formula of success for dominance of the Mediterranean, playing a key role in communication, military activities, and, especially, economic exchange. But how does one get from land to water? The linking gates are coastal installations, i.e. ports, harbours, and other infrastructures. These function as economic hubs, cultural and social meeting points, as well as gateways for communication and connection. The present volume provides a series of scientific papers deriving from presentations given at a conference held at the Institute for Advanced Study of the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg in Delmenhorst, Germany. Beyond general approaches to the study of Byzantine harbour archaeology, the contributions offer a representative picture of harbour activities across the historical and geographical boundaries of the Byzantine Empire. Although it is impossible to reflect a comprehensive picture of the entire sweep of coastal landscapes, this work hopefully provides a basis for future comparative research in Byzantine harbour studies – on a local, regional, and supra-regional level.

Editor's Preface 1. Byzantine Imperial policy towards the building and maintaining of ports in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 6th century AD and the technology involved - Ruthy Gertwagen 2. Was Roman marine concrete used in Byzantine harbour construction? An unanswered question - Robert L. Hohlfelder 3. Ports, harbours, and landings of the Byzantine Terra d'Otranto - Paul Arthur 4. The Late Antique and Byzantine port of Thessalian Thebes: The archaeology of its coastal infrastructures - Alkiviadis Ginalis and Anna Gialouri 5. The port facilities of Thessaloniki up to the Byzantine era - Marina Leivadioti 6. Remarks on the urban transformations of the harbours of the north Aegean coastline during the early Christian era as well as on their links with the road network - Flora Karagianni 7. An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the ancient harbour site of 'Karon limen' or 'Portus Caria/Carea', Bulgaria - Preslav Peev, Alkiviadis Ginalis, Bogdan Prodanov, and Grigori Simeonov 8. Bathonea (?): A newly discovered ancient port in the hinterland of Byzantion/Constantinople - Sengul G. Aydingun 9. A Late Antique and Byzantine harbour in Constantinople: The Theodosian harbour at Yenikapi - history, archaeology, and architecture - Ayse Ercan-Kydonakis 10. Between Yavneh-Yam and Rhinocorura: The Byzantine portals of the southern Levant - Gil Gambash 11. The harbour installations of Lake Mariout (Alexandria region) in the Late Roman Empire (4th - 7th centuries AD) - Valerie Pichot,

Editor’s Preface

1. Byzantine Imperial policy towards the building and maintaining of ports in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 6th century AD and the technology involved – Ruthy Gertwagen

2. Was Roman marine concrete used in Byzantine harbour construction? An unanswered question – Robert L. Hohlfelder

3. Ports, harbours, and landings of the Byzantine Terra d’Otranto – Paul Arthur

4. The Late Antique and Byzantine port of Thessalian Thebes: The archaeology of its coastal infrastructures – Alkiviadis Ginalis and Anna Gialouri

5. The port facilities of Thessaloniki up to the Byzantine era – Marina Leivadioti

6. Remarks on the urban transformations of the harbours of the north Aegean coastline during the early Christian era as well as on their links with the road network – Flora Karagianni

7. An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the ancient harbour site of ‘Karon limen’ or ‘Portus Caria/Carea’, Bulgaria – Preslav Peev, Alkiviadis Ginalis, Bogdan Prodanov, and Grigori Simeonov

8. Bathonea (?): A newly discovered ancient port in the hinterland of Byzantion/Constantinople – Şengül G. Aydingün

9. A Late Antique and Byzantine harbour in Constantinople: The Theodosian harbour at Yenikapı – history, archaeology, and architecture – Ayşe Ercan-Kydonakis

10. Between Yavneh-Yam and Rhinocorura: The Byzantine portals of the southern Levant – Gil Gambash

11. The harbour installations of Lake Mariout (Alexandria region) in the Late Roman Empire (4th - 7th centuries AD) – Valérie Pichot

• Edited by Alkiviadis Ginalis

"In conclusion, this book is a very useful and appealing publication that highlights in the best possible manner the new finds and the great potential of the study of Byzantine harbours and harbour networks, especially concerning field research, geoarchaeology, and excavations. Richly illustrated and well organized, it can be an important tool for readers who wish to focus on specific sites and periods, as well as for readers interested in gaining an overall knowledge of the harbour realities of Byzantium and of the recent investigations in the field." Ioannis Nakas (2024): INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
—

‘In conclusion, this book is a very useful and appealing publication that highlights in the best possible manner the new finds and the great potential of the study of Byzantine harbours and harbour networks, especially concerning field research, geoarchaeology, and excavations. Richly illustrated and well organized, it can be an important tool for readers who wish to focus on specific sites and periods, as well as for readers interested in gaining an overall knowledge of the harbour realities of Byzantium and of the recent investigations in the field.’ - Ioannis Nakas (2024): INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

—