Medieval – Corinthian Matters

Forthcoming Publications of the American School of Classical Studies

by David PettegrewMarch 28, 2016Leave a comment

I received a little pamphlet in the mail on Saturday about forthcoming publications of the ASCSA in 2016. Since some of these have been in production for years, I’ll save more detailed comments until the works actually appear in print. Forthcoming books include studies from Corinth, Isthmia, and the Nemea Valley, as well as the revised site guide to Corinth. I have provided links to the press pages for each book.

Athanassopoulos, E., Landscape Archaeology and the Medieval Countryside. NVAP II.
Sanders, G.D.R., J. Palinkas, and I. Tzonou-Herbst, with J. Herbst, Ancient Corinth: Site Guide (7th ed.).
Slane, K.W. Tombs, Burials, and Commemoration in Corinth’s Northern Cemetery. Corinth XXI.
Wohl, B.L. Lamps from the UCLA/OSU Excavations at Isthmia, 1967-2004. Isthmia X.

A Companion to Latin Greece (Tsougarakis and Lock, eds)

by David PettegrewFebruary 9, 2016February 5, 2016Leave a comment

A Companion to Latin Greece, recently published by Brill, offers 11 essays that provide “an introduction to the study of Latin Greece and a sampler of the directions in which the field of research is moving.” Edited by Nickiphoros Tsougarakis and Peter Lock, the work surveys society, culture, and economy in Greece from the 12th to 14th century (with occasional forays beyonds). As the abstract / book description notes:

“The conquest of the Byzantine Empire by the armies of the Fourth Crusade resulted in the foundation of several Latin political entities in the lands of Greece. The Companion to Latin Greece offers thematic overviews of the history of the mixed societies that emerged as a result of the conquest. With dedicated chapters on the art, literature, architecture, numismatics, economy, social and religious organisation and the crusading involvement of these Latin states, the volume offers an introduction to the study of Latin Greece and a sampler of the directions in which the field of research is moving.”

Sharon Gerstel’s review of the work in Medieval Review does note the lack of substantial discussion and exploration of archaeological evidence from either excavations or surveys, but concludes positively that

What this volume makes clear is the central importance of Latin Greece to the study of the Mediterranean and, indeed, to the study of late medieval and Early Modern Europe. The region’s enduring ties to both the West and Byzantium, its role in agricultural production and the exportation of vital commodities, its mixed population, and its multiple religious confessions, place Latin Greece at the center of current discourses about identity, networks, and globalism. Providing an impressive range of materials, this volume challenges the reader to think critically about local and regional transformations at a time of political uncertainty.

For further information:

Visit the Publisher Page
Read excerpts at Google Books here
And Sharon Gerstel’s recent discussion of the book in The Medieval Review

Table of Contents

The Latins in Greece: A Brief Introduction … Nickiphoros I. Tsougarakis
Crusades and Crusaders in Medieval Greece … 23 (Nikolaos G. Chrissis)
Land and Landowners in the Greek Territories under Latin Dominion, 13th–14th Centuries … 73 (Charalambos Gasparis)
Society, Administration and Identities in Latin Greece … 114 (Anastasia Papadia-Lala)
The Latin and Greek Churches in former Byzantine Lands under Latin Rule … 145 (Nicholas Coureas)
The Economy of Latin Greece … 185 (David Jacoby)
Money and Currency in Medieval Greece … 217 (Julian Baker)
The Jewish Communities in the Social Fabric of Latin Greece: Between Segregation and Interaction … 255 (David Jacoby)
Literature in Frankish Greece 288 (Gill Page)
The Landscape of Medieval Greece … 326 (Maria Georgopoulou)
Monumental Art in the Lordship of Athens and Thebes under Frankish and Catalan Rule (1212–1388): Latin and Greek Patronage … 369 (Sophia Kalopissi-Verti)

Deserted Villages Session: AIA 2016

by David PettegrewMarch 3, 2015July 30, 2015Leave a comment

Another interesting conference session is in the works—this one for the 2016 meetings of the Archaeological Institute of America on the theme of “Deserted Villages.” I had never seen as much talk on FB about “abandonment” and “formation processes” as the day last summer when friends began to bandy about this session idea.

Proposed Colloquium Session for the 2016 AIA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, January 6-9, 2016

Organizers: Deb Brown Stewart and Kostis Kourelis on behalf of the Medieval and Post-Medieval Archaeology Interest Group, Archaeological Institute of America

Deadline for Submission of Abstracts: March 13, 2015

The Medieval and Post-Medieval Archaeology Interest Group invites proposals for papers on the topic “Deserted Villages” for a colloquium at the next AIA Annual Meeting. Of particular interest are papers that feature post-classical sites (late-antique, medieval, or post-medieval villages) and that address:

– definitions of “village” (archaeological or ethnographic),

– new fieldwork or new interpretations of data,

– research that brings together diverse sources of data, and

– historic preservation concerns.

The selected proposals will shape a fuller abstract for the colloquium.

If you have a suitable paper or idea, please send (1) authors’ names, (2) institutional affiliations, (3) contact information, (4) paper title, (5) approximate length of time for your presentation (no more than 20 minutes), and (6) an abstract (no more than 400 words and conforming to “AIA Style Guidelines for Annual Meeting Abstracts”) by March 13^th to Deb Brown Stewart, debbrownstewart@gmail.com