Approaches towards the preservation of Classical antiquities in Byzantine Western Asia Minor through textual and archaeological evidence

Date

2025-12-01

Author

Aldemir, Eymir Ege

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Cities of Classical Antiquity underwent significant transformations during the transition from (Late) Antiquity into the Early Middle Ages due to a variety of factors (e.g., administrative, cultural, religious, socio-economic, demographic, and military). The impact of these factors on the built environment has long been debated, frequently identified as an urban ‘decline’ or a total ‘collapse’ of cities. Despite various negative implications associated with this process of change and transformation, this thesis argues that certain architectural and urban practices, such as spoliation and architectural recycling, repurposing (adaptive use), and, in some cases, the subdivision and encroachment of former public spaces, may also reflect a concern for the preservation of Classical antiquities (mainly Greek and Roman) through Late Antiquity and Byzantium. Accordingly, this study investigates how Classical antiquities were perceived and treated during these periods through the corpus of Roman law, as well as literary and epigraphical sources. Concurrently, it analyzes interventions on these antiquities using archaeological evidence. To this end, the study examines Aphrodisias, Ephesus, and Sardis, which are selected both for their status as provincial capitals during Late Antiquity and for the substantial evidence provided by long-established archaeological investigations (including both excavation and survey archaeology). The present work further evaluates these interventions within the framework of current conservation terms and concepts while simultaneously analyzing the specific Latin and Greek terminology used in textual sources to describe such actions. Finally, by synthesizing the textual and archaeological evidence, this research reveals approaches to the preservation of Classical antiquities during the Late Antique and Byzantine periods.

Subject Keywords

Classical antiquities, Late Antiquity and Byzantium, Textual sources, Western Asia Minor, Architectural/Urban conservation

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118267

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis