Name: 'Peeping under the palimpsest: Reclaiming the urban topography of Byzantine Constantinople'
Start: 2024-05-13T17:30:00+01:00
Location: Meadows Lecture Theatre, Doorway 4, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG

'Peeping under the palimpsest: Reclaiming the urban topography of Byzantine Constantinople'

Hybrid event
This joint Austrian Association for Byzantine Studies-Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies (OEBG-SPBS) Lecture considers the sub-surface archaeology of Constantinople with Professor Jim Crow, Emeritus Professor of Roman and Byzantine Archaeology.
A recent publication on late antique and medieval urbanism titled ‘Cities as palimpsests?’ draws attention to the multi-layered nature of ancient cities and the nuanced perspectives which are offered for the study of evolving urbanism. But how far is this engaging metaphor relevant for understanding the city beneath our feet and as a contribution to comprehending past lifeways? By reviewing past and contemporary approaches and methodologies I aim to consider the contribution of previous observations and excavations for the topography and infrastructure of the city, with particular attention to the Byzantine remains enclosed within the circuit wall of the Topkapı Saray, the city’s first hill.
Speaker: Professor Jim Crow, University of Edinburgh
Respondent: Dr Galina Fingarova, University of Vienna