New Publication on Byzantine Cities Highlights APAC Labs Research
Nikolas Bakirtzis (Assoc. Prof., CyI) co-edited with Lucca Zavagno (Assoc. Prof., Bilkent U.) "The Routledge Handbook of the Byzantine City: From Justinian to Mehmet II (ca. 500 - ca. 1500)." The volume also includes a chapter by PhD candidate and APAC Labs / STARC Research Assistant Athanasios Koutoupas, and, two chapters by Dr. Bakirtzis.
The book, one of the latest in the major Routledge Handbook series, offers both an overview and detailed study of urban environments across the Byzantine empire. The volume's chapters have been organized into 4 sections: Theory and Historiography, Geography and Economy, Architecture and the Built Environment, and Daily Life and Material Culture.
Using both chronological and thematic perspectives, the studies put literary, documentary, and archival sources in conversation with archaeological results, material culture, art, and architecture, resulting in a rich synthesis of the histories of Byzantine urban landscapes from the center of the empire in Constantinople to the urban coastal frontiers of Sicily, Crete, and Cyprus. Written for specialist scholars, students, and enthusiasts alike, this volume appeals to all those interested in Byzantine urbanism and society, as well as those studying medieval society in general.
Nikolas co-authored the introductory chapter and authored a chapter on city fortifications. These chapters, as well as, the overall concept and organization of the volume include research work and teaching interests pursued in the context of APAC Labs / STARC activities in the study of historic cities in the Mediterranean, including the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. Thanasis’ chapter examines the early Byzantine history of the city of Alexandria, which has also been the subject of APAC Labs/ STARC projects.
Read more: Bakirtzis, N., & Zavagno, L. (Eds.). 2024. The Routledge Handbook of the Byzantine City: From Justinian to Mehmet II (ca. 500 - ca. 1500). Routledge.
