Byzantine Archaeology Volume 1 – Michael J Decker

However, despite the triumph of Orthodoxy in 843, the sculpture for the first fifty years after Iconoclasm was quite limited, restricted to a largely zoomorphic and vegetal ornament, and carved in a low, flat technique. Most sculptures were architectural, and increasingly these related to the sanctuary barrier, now known as the templon, which had extended laterally to incorporate the pastophoria (side chapels).

Few securely dated works remain from the capital from the ninth century. However, such material has survived in Boeotia in Greece, at the church of the Dormition at Skripou, founded by Leo the protospatharios, in 873–4, and from the ruined church of St. Gregory at Thebes, founded in 872.97 Both churches employed the 96 Maguire 1994; Saradi 1997. 97 Megaw 1966. Figure 11.9 Spolia on the exterior of the Little Metropolis, Athens. (Photo: Simon Davies; https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/exterior-little-metropolis‑church- by-metropolitan-1416857261.) 11 Sculpture same workshop, based at Thebes, and evidence of their work has been doc- umented elsewhere in mainland Greece, as far down as the Peloponnese.98 The sculpture at Skripou, which was employed on the exterior as well as inside (particularly for the templon), is decorated with a number of tra- ditional sixth-century motifs, but, in addition, there are some extraordi- nary schematized images of quadrupeds bearing fantastic humanoid heads, some in combat (Figure 11.10).

It has been suggested that these images may have been imported from the east, but it seems that most were based on a repertoire that had been naturalized in the capital centuries earlier and developed in tandem with the Islamic world.99 In the early tenth century, exotic animals, birds, and other zoomorphic creatures were to appear frequently in Byzantine sculpture, particularly in the capital where they often take on a heraldic form.

During this period, the quality of carving also improved and we begin to see some larger works produced, such as the two senmurvs (Sassanian dragons) now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.100 Much of this material has come 98 Megaw 1966, pp. 18–20. 99 Grabar 1963, pp. 98–9; Krautheimer and Ćurčić 1986, pp. 316–17. 100 Firatli et al.

1990, nos. 343–4. Figure 11.10 Marble relief with zoomorphic images, church of the Koimesis, Skripou, exterior, central apse, 873–4. (Photo: Simon Davies.) Simon Davies down to us out of context. However, an important cycle of sculpture has survived from the aristocratic north church of the Lips monastery (Fenari Isa Camii), founded in 907 by Constantine Lips, a dignitary in the court of Leo VI (886–912).101 Although many elements are now fragmentary and out of situ, the church once contained an unusual abundance of carved material, including cornices, window mullions, capitals, and templon components.

These were all fashioned from antique stelae from a cem- etery on nearby Cyzikos, and are carved in an extremely rich and crisp style in both low and high relief.

The archaeology of Byzantium is the archaeology of an empire whose chrono- logical bounds, broadly speaking, spanned the fourth through fifteenth century AD. The authors whose works are collected in this handbook examine meth- ods and practice of Byzantine archaeology as well as the materials typically encountered in artifacts produced within the imperial boundaries. Byzantine archaeology is still a relatively young discipline, and, while vast in its scope and ambition, work in the field tends to be challenging to access. This volume aims to remedy this situation by providing current views of the nature of Byzantine archaeology, exploring crucial studies which elucidate salient features of the empire’s people, as well as offering glimpses of how things may develop in the near future.

Michael J. Decker is Maroulis Professor of Byzantine History and Orthodox Religion at the University of South Florida. The focus of his research is Byzantium to c. 1100. His publications include Tilling the Hateful Earth (2009) and The Byzantine Dark Ages (2016). The Cambridge Handbook to Byzantine Archaeology The Cambridge Handbook to Byzantine Archaeology VOLUME I Edited by Michael J. Decker University of South Florida Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8EA, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia 314–321, 3rd Floor, Plot 3, Splendor Forum, Jasola District Centre, New Delhi – 110025, India Cambridge University Press is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a department of the University of Cambridge.

We share the University’s mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781316516348 DOI: 10.1017/9781009848909 © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

When citing this work, please include a reference to the DOI 10.1017/9781009848909 First published 2026 ISBN – 2 Volume Set 9781107042612 Hardback ISBN – Volume I 9781316516348 Hardback ISBN – Volume II 9781316516386 Hardback A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library A Cataloging-in-Publication data record for this book is available from the Library of Congress Cambridge University Press & Assessment has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

For EU product safety concerns, contact us at Calle de José Abascal, 56, 1°, 28003 Madrid, Spain, or email [email protected]. In Memoriam Cyril Mango (1928–2021) vii VOLUME I List of Figures [page x] List of Maps [xviii] List of Tables [xix] List of Contributors [xx] Preface and Acknowledgments [xxiii] Maps [xxvii] Introduction [1] Michael J.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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