Rural Byzantine landscapes and societies :new approaches to characterisation and analysi

Abstract

Landscapes are intricate, complex and multi-layered products of social dynamics and cultural practices within specific environments. Over the past decade researchers have advanced the study of the perceptions and experiences of past people by studying the organization of social space. The growing international recognition of landscape studies highlights the neglect of landscape in contemporary Byzantine studies. It is vital that Byzantine studies consider new approaches to the organisation of landscape and how it is experienced, in order to move beyond a dehumanised history reliant on the discussion of historically-recorded political events. This thesis addresses these issues, analysing space as an expression of social identity, and increasing our understanding of the interplay between Byzantine rural society and eastern Mediterranean landscapes.

The heart of this thesis is a detailed historic analysis of the spatial composition of the landscapes of two contrasting case-studies, Pisidia (Turkey) and the Troodos Mountain foothills (Cyprus). To achieve this retrogressive landscape analysis and Historic Landscape Characterisation has been implemented. These modern techniques map the historic processes that shape the landscape. These methods are combined with the results of ceramic survey to provide further chronological definition to the historic landscape study. This is a unique and innovative methodology that has not been previously attempted in historic landscape analysis. This methodology draws on both high-quality research generated by international research teams (Sydney Cyprus Survey Project and Pisidia Survey Project) and original fieldwork by the author. This explores the relationships between Historic Landscape Character and the ceramics found within the landscape.

The results of this thesis have revealed new historical landscape narratives, demonstrating how the combination of methodologies revealed a much richer history than each technique alone would provide. This detailed framework of the past allows a more comprehensive exploration of the influence of landscapes on the experience and perceptions of people in the past.