DOCSLIB.ORG

Roman Fine Ware Ceramics from Two Surface Scatters in Aegean Thrace

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Roman Fine Ware Ceramics from Two Surface Scatters in Aegean Thrace Roman Fine Ware Ceramics from Two Surface Scatters in Aegean Thrace: An Analysis of Distribution Patterns A thesis submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Advanced Research Of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences 2020 by Adam S. Hartman B.A. Anthropology, University of North Carolina – Wilmington, 2016 Committee: Susan E. Allen (Chair) Sarah E. Jackson Nicholas F. Hudson ABSTRACT This thesis investigates Roman fine ware trade networks in Thrace and the northern Aegean, through an examination of its spatial and chronological distribution patterns in the region. Specifically, I examined Roman fine ware ceramics recovered through surface survey from two countryside sites discovered by the Molyvoti, Thrace Archaeological Project (MTAP) in northern Greece during 2015, and their relationship to distribution patterns represented by published assemblages from other archaeological sites in Thrace and the northern Aegean. The published assemblages were grouped into three different regions based upon their geographical proximity to each other. The analysis utilizes Bes’ (2015) nine phases of Roman fine ware distribution in the eastern Mediterranean, as outlined in Once Upon a Time in the East. For each phase, the wares and ceramic forms identified at each site are presented and discussed chronologically by region. The new data from the two MTAP sites, Glyphada-Agkathies and Mitrikon-Metochi, indicates that Roman period occupation of these sites began around the mid-1st century CE and continued into the mid-5th century CE. No Roman fine ware was identified at the MTAP sites dating to the 1st century BCE. However, other sites discussed in this thesis reveal a pattern in which pre-Hellenistic sites in Thrace have access to exchange networks that the two MTAP sites do not have. The two assemblages are primarily composed of Çandarlı, with forms corresponding to Loeschke’s and Hayes’ typologies, dating from the mid-1st century CE to around CE 300. Phocaean Red Slip is the second most common ware, indicating the market dominance of Pergamene products. Additional finds corresponding to forms of Italian Terra Sigillata, Eastern Sigillata B, African Red Slip, and Late Roman Light Colored Ware were also identified, as well as possible imitations of Çandarlı. The distribution patterns observed at the MTAP sites largely align with broader trends in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. However, the rural setting of the MTAP sites helps to i provide a more holistic picture of fine ware distribution, due to the general paucity of published assemblages from non-urban contexts, while also demonstrating the potential utility of survey pottery to address question of trade networks and patterns of distribution. ii iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to express my deepest appreciation to my committee, Susan Allen, Sarah Jackson, and Nicholas Hudson. Without the support and encouragement that you all provided I would not have been able to complete this research, and I hope to be able to emulate the exemplary behavior that you three all demonstrated to me. Also, I would like to say thank you to rest of the faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students in the UC Department of Anthropology. I’m also extremely grateful to Nathan Arrington, Domna Terzopoulou, Marina Tasaklaki, Tom Tartaron, Eli Weaverdyck, Georgios Makris, Justin Mann, and the rest of the Molyvoti, Thrace Archaeological Project, for the opportunities provided to me, and for their assistance and encouragement. I would also like to say thank you to Nicholas Hudson for your efforts and patience in training me to analyze pottery, and for the never ceasing encouragement. I would also like to thank Rachel Satzman of Cape Fear Community College, for introducing me to archaeology and for the vital early support that she provided me. Additionally, thank you to Nicholas Hudson, Teddy Burgh, Michaela Howells, George Zervos, Scott Simmons, David Hoot, Nora Reber, and the numerous faculty members from various departments at UNCW whom I had the privilege of learning from. Above all, I would like to express my extreme gratitude to my family (Mom, Dad, Gretchen, Trey, Eric, Megan, and Lendl) and my dear friends (Kevin, Hanna, Jerome, Jared, and Ted). Thank you so much for being there every step of the way to provide me with support and encouragement. Without all of you, I would not be where or who I am today. Thank you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 – BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................. 4 The Development of Typo-Chronological Systems of Roman Fine Ware ............................................... 5 Beyond Typo-Chronological Uses of Roman Fine Ware ......................................................................... 8 The Molyvoti, Thrace, Archaeological Project (MTAP) ........................................................................ 10 Geographic and Environmental Setting of MTAP .................................................................................. 12 Geography of Thrace .............................................................................................................................. 14 CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 16 Surface Survey, Collection, and Initial Analysis .................................................................................... 16 Ceramic Identification and Analysis ....................................................................................................... 18 Comparative Dataset Compilation .......................................................................................................... 20 Quantification of Rome Fine Ware Sherds ............................................................................................. 21 CHAPTER 4 – OVERVIEW OF ROMAN FINE WARE CERAMICS .................................................... 23 Eastern Sigillata A (ESA) ....................................................................................................................... 24 Italian Terra Sigillata (ITS) ..................................................................................................................... 26 Gaulish Terra Sigillata (GTS) ................................................................................................................. 28 Eastern Sigillata B (ESB) ........................................................................................................................ 31 Çandarlı Ware (Çandarlı) ........................................................................................................................ 34 Eastern Sigillata D (ESD) ....................................................................................................................... 35 Pontic Sigillata (PS) ................................................................................................................................ 36 African Red Slip (ARS) .......................................................................................................................... 39 Phocaean Red Slip (PRS) ........................................................................................................................ 43 Late Roman D (LRD) ............................................................................................................................. 46 Late Roman Light Colored Ware (LRLCW) .......................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER 5 - MTAP FINE WARE ASSEMBLAGES AND COMPARATIVE DATASET FOR THRACE .................................................................................................................................................... 49 Glyphada-Agkathies Roman Fine Ware ................................................................................................. 49 v Chronology of Glyphada-Agkathies Fine Ware ................................................................................. 50 Mitrikon-Metochi Roman Fine Ware ..................................................................................................... 52 Chronology of Mitrikon-Metochi Roman Fine Ware ......................................................................... 57 Distribution of Roman Fine Ware in Thrace .......................................................................................... 59 Phase
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Romanization of Romania: a Look at the Influence of the Roman Military on Romanian History and Heritage Colleen Ann Lovely Union College - Schenectady, NY
    Union College Union | Digital Works Honors Theses Student Work 6-2016 The Romanization of Romania: A Look at the Influence of the Roman Military on Romanian History and Heritage Colleen Ann Lovely Union College - Schenectady, NY Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, European History Commons, and the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Lovely, Colleen Ann, "The Romanization of Romania: A Look at the Influence of the Roman Military on Romanian History and Heritage" (2016). Honors Theses. 178. https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/178 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at Union | Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Union | Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Romanization of Romania: A Look at the Influence of the Roman Military on Romanian History and Heritage By Colleen Ann Lovely ********* Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Honors in the Departments of Classics and Anthropology UNION COLLEGE March 2016 Abstract LOVELY, COLLEEN ANN The Romanization of Romania: A Look at the Influence of the Roman Military on Romanian History and Heritage. Departments of Classics and Anthropology, March 2016. ADVISORS: Professor Stacie Raucci, Professor Robert Samet This thesis looks at the Roman military and how it was the driving force which spread Roman culture. The Roman military stabilized regions, providing protection and security for regions to develop culturally and economically. Roman soldiers brought with them their native cultures, languages, and religions, which spread through their interactions and connections with local peoples and the communities in which they were stationed.
    [Show full text]
  • Halmyris: Geoarchaeology of a Fluvial Harbour on the Danube Delta
    Halmyris: Geoarchaeology of a fluvial harbour on the Danube Delta (Dobrogea, Romania) Matthieu Giaime, Gwenaël Magne, Alexandra Bivolaru, Emmanuel Gandouin, Nick Marriner, Christophe Morhange To cite this version: Matthieu Giaime, Gwenaël Magne, Alexandra Bivolaru, Emmanuel Gandouin, Nick Marriner, et al.. Halmyris: Geoarchaeology of a fluvial harbour on the Danube Delta (Dobrogea, Romania). The Holocene, London: Sage, 2019, 29 (2), pp.313-327. 10.1177/0959683618810397. hal-01950888 HAL Id: hal-01950888 https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01950888 Submitted on 14 Jan 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution| 4.0 International License Halmyris: Geoarchaeology of a fluvial harbour on the Danube Delta DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683618810397 10.1177/0959683618810397 (Dobrogea, Romania) Matthieu Giaime,1 Gwenaël Magne,2 Alexandra Bivolaru,3 Emmanuel Gandouin,4 Nick Marriner5 and Christophe Morhange3 Abstract In Northern Dobrogea, north of the Dunavăţ promontory, the Roman fortress of Halmyris was founded in the late 1st century AD on a Getic settlement dating to the middle of the 1st millennium BC, probably associated with a Greek emporium of the Classical and Hellenistic periods.
    [Show full text]
  • Arachnida: Araneae) from Dobruja (Romania and Bulgaria) Liviu Aurel Moscaliuc
    Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle © 31 août «Grigore Antipa» Vol. LV (1) pp. 9–15 2012 DOI: 10.2478/v10191-012-0001-2 NEW FAUNISTIC RECORDS OF SPIDERS (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE) FROM DOBRUJA (ROMANIA AND BULGARIA) LIVIU AUREL MOSCALIUC Abstract. A number of spider species were collected in 2011 and 2012 in various microhabitats in and around the village Letea (the Danube Delta, Romania) and on the Bulgarian Dobruja Black Sea coast. The results are the start of a proposed longer survey of the spider fauna in the area. The genus Spermophora Hentz, 1841 (with the species senoculata), Xysticus laetus Thorell, 1875 and Trochosa hispanica Simon, 1870 are mentioned in the Romanian fauna for the first time. Floronia bucculenta (Clerck, 1757) is at the first record for the Bulgarian fauna. Diagnostic drawings and photographs are presented. Résumé. En 2011 et 2012, on recueille des espèces d’araignées dans des microhabitats différents autour du village de Letea (le delta du Danube) et le long de la côte de la Mer Noire dans la Dobroudja bulgare. Les résultats sont le début d’une enquête proposée de la faune d’araignée dans la région. Le genre Spermophora Hentz, 1841 (avec l’espèce senoculata), Xysticus laetus Thorell, 1875 et Trochosa hispanica Simon, 1870 sont mentionnés pour la première fois dans la faune de Roumanie. Floronia bucculenta (Clerck, 1757) est au premier enregistrement pour la faune bulgare. Aussi on présente les dessins de diagnose et des photographies. Key words: Spermophora senoculata, Xysticus laetus, Trochosa hispanica, Floronia bucculenta, first record, spiders, fauna, Romania, Bulgaria. INTRODUCTION The results of this paper come from the author’s regular field work.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Achaemenid Persia on Fourth-Century and Early Hellenistic Greek Tyranny
    THE INFLUENCE OF ACHAEMENID PERSIA ON FOURTH-CENTURY AND EARLY HELLENISTIC GREEK TYRANNY Miles Lester-Pearson A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2015 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11826 This item is protected by original copyright The influence of Achaemenid Persia on fourth-century and early Hellenistic Greek tyranny Miles Lester-Pearson This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Submitted February 2015 1. Candidate’s declarations: I, Miles Lester-Pearson, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 88,000 words in length, has been written by me, and that it is the record of work carried out by me, or principally by myself in collaboration with others as acknowledged, and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in September 2010 and as a candidate for the degree of PhD in September 2011; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2010 and 2015. Date: Signature of Candidate: 2. Supervisor’s declaration: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree.
    [Show full text]
  • 9. Ceramic Arts
    Profile No.: 38 NIC Code: 23933 CEREMIC ARTS 1. INTRODUCTION: Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take forms including art ware, tile, figurines, sculpture, and tableware. Ceramic art is one of the arts, particularly the visual arts. Of these, it is one of the plastic arts. While some ceramics are considered fine art, some are considered to be decorative, industrial or applied art objects. Ceramics may also be considered artifacts in archaeology. Ceramic art can be made by one person or by a group of people. In a pottery or ceramic factory, a group of people design, manufacture and decorate the art ware. Products from a pottery are sometimes referred to as "art pottery".[1] In a one-person pottery studio, ceramists or potters produce studio pottery. Most traditional ceramic products were made from clay (or clay mixed with other materials), shaped and subjected to heat, and tableware and decorative ceramics are generally still made this way. In modern ceramic engineering usage, ceramics is the art and science of making objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials by the action of heat. It excludes glass and mosaic made from glass tesserae. There is a long history of ceramic art in almost all developed cultures, and often ceramic objects are all the artistic evidence left from vanished cultures. Elements of ceramic art, upon which different degrees of emphasis have been placed at different times, are the shape of the object, its decoration by painting, carving and other methods, and the glazing found on most ceramics. 2.
    [Show full text]
  • “A Translation and Historical Commentary of Book One and Book Two of the Historia of Geōrgios Pachymerēs” 2004
    “A Translation and Historical Commentary of Book One and Book Two of the Historia of Geōrgios Pachymerēs” Nathan John Cassidy, BA(Hons) (Canterbury) This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Western Australia. School of Humanities Classics and Ancient History 2004 ii iii Abstract A summary of what a historical commentary should aim to do is provided by Gomme and Walbank in the introductions to their famous and magisterial commentaries on Thoukydidēs and Polybios. From Gomme: A historical commentary on an historian must necessarily derive from two sources, a proper understanding of his own words, and what we can learn from other authorities . To see what gaps there are in his narrative [and to] examine the means of filling these gaps. (A. Gomme A Historical Commentary on Thucydides vol. 1 (London, 1959) 1) And from Walbank: I have tried to give full references to other relevant ancient authorities, and where the text raises problems, to define these, even if they could not always be solved. Primarily my concern has been with whatever might help elucidate what Polybius thought and said, and only secondarily with the language in which he said it, and the question whether others subsequently said something identical or similar. (F. Walbank A Historical Commentary on Polybius vol. 1 (London, 1957) vii) Both scholars go on to stress the need for the commentator to stick with the points raised by the text and to avoid the temptation to turn the commentary into a rival narrative. These are the principles which I have endeavoured to follow in my Historical Commentary on Books One and Two of Pachymerēs’ Historia.
    [Show full text]
  • An Oinophora Type Vessel Discovered at the Noviodunum Necropolis
    Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 26(2): 287–294 An Oinophora Type Vessel Discovered at the Noviodunum Necropolis Ștefan HONCU1, Aurel-Daniel STĂNICĂ 2 Abstract. Our article refers to a special discovery made at Noviodunum, the headquarters of the Danube fleet Classis Flavia Moesica. It is about an oinophora type vessel, shaped as a ram, which was discovered, by chance, in a cremation grave. Its presence in the necropolis of the city must not come as a surprise to us, because such discoveries come, once again, to show its commercial and economic importance in the province. The Noviodunum market represented a luxury goods consumer from all the provinces of the empire. Regarding the chronological framing of the vessel we support the opinion that it might come from the second half of the 2nd century p.Chr. Rezumat. Articolul nostru discută o descoperire aparte făcută la Noviodunum, sediul flotei dunărene Classis Flavia Moesica. Este vorba despre un vas de tip oinophora, în formă de berbec, care a fost descoperit, în mod întâmplător, într-un mormânt de incinerație. Prezența acestuia în necropola cetății nu trebuie să ne surprindă, deoarece astfel de descoperiri vin să arate, o dată în plus, importanța comercială și economică a acesteia în cadrul provinciei. Piața de la Noviodunum reprezenta un consumator de bunuri de lux provenite din toate provinciile Imperiului. În privința încadrării cronologice a vasului suntem de părere că ulciorul s-ar putea data, eventual, în a doua jumătate a secolului al II-lea p.Chr. Keywords: Moesia Inferior, Noviodunum, necropolis, oinophora. Introduction The fortress of Noviodunum had an important strategic and economic role before the coming of the Romans, which was accentuated in the following periods, until the medieval epoch3.
    [Show full text]
  • Blood Ties: Religion, Violence, and the Politics of Nationhood in Ottoman Macedonia, 1878
    BLOOD TIES BLOOD TIES Religion, Violence, and the Politics of Nationhood in Ottoman Macedonia, 1878–1908 I˙pek Yosmaog˘lu Cornell University Press Ithaca & London Copyright © 2014 by Cornell University All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. First published 2014 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2014 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Yosmaog˘lu, I˙pek, author. Blood ties : religion, violence,. and the politics of nationhood in Ottoman Macedonia, 1878–1908 / Ipek K. Yosmaog˘lu. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8014-5226-0 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8014-7924-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Macedonia—History—1878–1912. 2. Nationalism—Macedonia—History. 3. Macedonian question. 4. Macedonia—Ethnic relations. 5. Ethnic conflict— Macedonia—History. 6. Political violence—Macedonia—History. I. Title. DR2215.Y67 2013 949.76′01—dc23 2013021661 Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Paperback printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Josh Contents Acknowledgments ix Note on Transliteration xiii Introduction 1 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Migration of Syrian and Palestinian Populations in the 7Th Century: Movement of Individuals and Groups in the Mediterranean
    Chapter 10 The Migration of Syrian and Palestinian Populations in the 7th Century: Movement of Individuals and Groups in the Mediterranean Panagiotis Theodoropoulos In 602, the Byzantine emperor Maurice was dethroned and executed in a mili- tary coup, leading to the takeover of Phokas. In response to that, the Sasanian Great King Khosrow ii (590–628), who had been helped by Maurice in 591 to regain his throne from the usurper Bahram, launched a war of retribution against Byzantium. In 604 taking advantage of the revolt of the patrikios Nars- es against Phokas, he captured the city of Dara. By 609, the Persians had com- pleted the conquest of Byzantine Mesopotamia with the capitulation of Edes- sa.1 A year earlier, in 608, the Exarch of Carthage Herakleios the Elder rose in revolt against Phokas. His nephew Niketas campaigned against Egypt while his son, also named Herakleios, led a fleet against Constantinople. Herakleios managed to enter the city and kill Phokas. He was crowned emperor on Octo- ber 5, 610.2 Ironically, three days later on October 8, 610, Antioch, the greatest city of the Orient, surrendered to the Persians who took full advantage of the Byzantine civil strife.3 A week later Apameia, another great city in North Syria, came to terms with the Persians. Emesa fell in 611. Despite two Byzantine counter at- tacks, one led by Niketas in 611 and another led by Herakleios himself in 613, the Persian advance seemed unstoppable. Damascus surrendered in 613 and a year later Caesarea and all other coastal towns of Palestine fell as well.
    [Show full text]
  • Histria After 100 Years of Archaeological Research
    HISTRIA AFTER 100 YEARS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH The centennial of the archaeological research at Histria is a moment of profound significance for both the past and the future of Romanian cultural heritage. In the spring of 1914 when Vasile Pârvan was passionately and enthusiastically uncovering the ruins of the city of Istropolis in the backwaters of Caranasuf (Babadag region, Tulcea county) a multi-centennial history written in stone was ready to be unveiled. And how, if not by interpreting the whitish stones of Histria, could the written and re-written history of this colony of Miletus from the banks of the Sinoe Lake have been revealed? The results of the very early excavations were fully consistent with the historical information of the written sources, especially as no modern constructions had overlapped the ancient city, making it an ideal subject for the scientific archaeological research of the time. Little by little, the archaeological remains revealed the ancient city-colony of Miletus, which in time developed into a Roman and later a Roman- Byzantine city. The over 1300 years of existence of the Histrian city represented a true masterpiece ready to be explored and to reveal new information on the history of civilization along the western shores of the Black Sea. Vasile Pârvan’s dream to set up a specialized service for the study of Greek and Roman antiquities – and prehistoric and proto-historic artefacts – was to be realized through his followers. He had stated explicitly in his monumental work Getica. O protoistorie a Daciei (Getica. A Proto-History of Dacia), Bucharest, 1926, p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Crossing of the Danube and the Gothic Conversion , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 27:3 (1986:Autumn) P.289
    HEATHER, PETER, The Crossing of the Danube and the Gothic Conversion , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 27:3 (1986:Autumn) p.289 The Crossing of the Danube and the Gothic Conversion Peter Heather MMIANUS MARCELLINUS provides a detailed account of the re­ A lations between the Emperor Valens and the Goths during the period 367-378. But essentially because Ammianus does not mention it, there has been much controversy over the date of a Gothic conversion to Christianity ascribed in other sources to the reign of Valens. Equally, because the historians Socrates and So­ zomen link a civil war among the Goths to the conversion, it has also been unclear when this split might have taken place. It will be argued here that the primary accounts found in Socrates, Sozomen, and Eunapius can be reconciled with the secondary ones of Jordanes, Theodoret, and Orosius to suggest a Gothic conversion in 376. Fur­ ther, combined with Ammianus, they strongly indicate that Christian­ ity initially affected only elements of one Gothic group, the Tervingi, and was part of the agreement by which Valens allowed them to cross the Danube and enter the Empire in 376. It also becomes clear that the split too affected only the Tervingi, and occurred immediately before the crossing and conversion. This reconstruction in turn highlights the Huns' role in overturning the established order in Gothic society: their attacks first divided the Tervingi, who were unable to agree on an appropriate response, and prompted the larger group to seek asylum in the Empire and accept conversion to Christianity.
    [Show full text]
  • THE IMPERIAL QUARTER to a Major Extent, the Latin Emperors Modelled
    CHAPTER THREE THE IMPERIAL QUARTER To a major extent, the Latin emperors modelled their emperorship ideologically on the Byzantine example, while at the same time signifi- cant Western influences were also present. But how did they actually develop the concrete administrative organization of their empire? The constitutional pact of March 1204 established the contours within which this imperial administration was to be constructed. The starting point of the convention meant a drastic change with regard to Byzantine administrative principles. A fundamental aspect was the feudalization and the theoretical division of the Byzantine Empire into three large regions. One-quarter of the territory was allotted directly to the Latin Emperor. Three-eights were allotted to the non-Venetian and three- eights to the Venetian component of the crusading army. Both regions were to be feudally dependent upon the emperor. In this chapter we examine administrative practice in the imperial quarter. The Location of the Imperial Quarter The imperial domain encompassed five-eighths of the capital Cons- tantinople: the imperial quarter plus the non-Venetian crusaders’ sec- tion. It is true that the March 1204 agreement allotted only the Great Palace—designated as the Boukoleon palace—and the Blacherna pal- ace to the emperor, which implied that the rest of the city should have been divided up according to the established distribution formula, but in practice there is not a single indication to be found that part of the city (three-eighths) was to be allotted to the non-Venetian crusaders in the form of a separate enclave with administrative autonomy from the imperial quarter.1 Apparently, the definitive distribution agree- ment stipulated that five-eighths of Constantinople was to fall to the emperor or, de facto, this was the situation there.2 1 Prevenier, De oorkonden, II, no 267.
    [Show full text]