The archaeology of middle Byzantie Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias is an ancient settlement in the valley of the Morsynos, a tributary of the Maeander in southwest Asia Minor. Excavation at the site has been ongoing since 1961, but to date most research has examined its ancient and late antique remains. The following thesis represents the first detailed study of the site during the seventh through thirteenth centuries, over which period a small Middle Byzantine town adopted and transformed the ancient topography. The thesis integrates material already published with several major new corpora of archaeological evidence, drawing upon archival records, museum depots and targeted fieldwork. These allow for a reconstruction of the fabric of the settlement and the exploration of the relationships that structured the community. The thesis is an exercise in settlement archaeology as social history, and a contribution to the study of the Middle Byzantine Maeander. The first chapter presents a brief introduction to the study of Middle Byzantine urbanism, and situates the early excavations at Aphrodisias in their twentieth-century intellectual context. The second chapter takes the form of a topographic gazetteer of archaeological evidence for medieval activity and occupation, concluding with a discussion of the shape and extent of the town. The following three chapters then present detailed studies of different categories of evidence, making reference to four descriptive catalogues appended to the thesis. Chapter three addresses the monetary economy of the Morsynos Valley on the basis of 712 coins recorded both at the archaeological site and in the collection of the local museum. The fourth chapter analyses the corpus of marble liturgical sculpture, reconstructing the barriers and canopies that articulated the Middle Byzantine interiors of the town's churches. The fifth and final chapter discusses the three major cemeteries, closing with a short essay on the social context of death and burial. A brief conclusion interrogates the results of the thesis.