A New History of Byzantine Greece: An Archaeological Perspective (Podcast)

"The medieval (or Byzantine) period in Greece is especially significant historically because it ties together the far better known periods of classical antiquity and modernity (after 1830). The present lecture provides an overview and several case studies from a book-length project currently underway to write a new history of this period, departing from existing work by using the existing archaeological material as the basis of the narrative. The lecture provides a brief background on the development of Byzantine historical study and then provides short case-studies to illustrate the methods of the project. These case-studies include the conversion of Greece to Christianity (4th-6th centuries), the problems inherent in the study of the Byzantine “Dark Ages” (7th-9th centuries), and the “Frangokratia” after the Crusader capture of Greece (13th-14th centuries). 53:03"