AMORIUM

Scientific supervisor: Nikos Tsivikis (PhD cand., University of Crete)

The city of Amorium in Asia Minor, provincial capital of the thema of Anatolikon, stands out as one of the most important urban and military centres of the Middle Byzantine Empire from the 8th to the 11th centuries. Since the city of Amorium pre-existed as a Roman and Early Byzantine town it poses as a good example of transformation of a vibrant urban settlement from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The fact that the site of Amorium remained unsettled following the 12th century and no modern constructions were erected on site offers a unique opportunity for modern archaeologists and scholars to study Byzantine urbanism.

Since 1987 Amorium is under systematic study and excavation by an international team under the direction of Prof. Martin Harrison (1987-1991, University of Oxford), Dr. Christopher Lightfoot (1991-2013, Metropolitan Museum of New York) and Assist.Prof. Zeliha Gökalp-Demirel (2013-present, Anadolu University.) Institute of Mediterranean Studies participates in this cooperative effort with a side project focused on the study of urban transformation and the civic phenomenon in Byzantine Amorium. Amorium Urban Archaeology Project employs traditional archaeology along with large-scale surface, satellite imagery and geophysics research, utilizing the expertise of IMS' Laboratory of Geophysical - Satellite Remote Sensing and Archaeo-environment. Aim of our project is to assist in developing a more complete approach to Byzantine provincial cities and to shed light to social and economic relationships as they are imprinted in the evolution of built civic space.

Amorium Urban Archaeology Project is generously supported from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Relative links:
http://www.amoriumexcavations.org/
http://amoriumurbarch.blogspot.gr/
http://www.biaa.ac.uk/research/item/name/amorium-excavations