Architectural Sculpture In The Byzantine Negev

This book presents a study and catalogue of the early Christian stone architectural decorations from the Negev Desert (Israel). This work is based on the largest sample of decorated architectural elements from the Byzantine Negev (4th–7th century CE) to have been comparatively studied. The analysis provides a key for the characteristics of these aniconic, carved decorations, and an in-depth examination of their symbolic meaning.

(BAR -S420, 1988)

Architectural sculpture and liturgical furniture are key genres of late antique and Byzantine archaeology and art, and this book provides the first general overview. It offers two alternative ways of access, via technical terms and illustrations. It can thus serve as dictionary, if a term requires explanation and illustration, or as a visual gazetteer for the research of artefacts. In addition the volume can also serve as an academic textbook.

Chapters by leading archaeologists in Israel and the Levant explore themes and sites connected with cities and villages from the Hellenistic to early Islamic periods across the region. The result is a rich trove of up-to-date data and insights that will be a must read for scholars and students active in this part of the ancient Mediterranean world.

When it is asked ?What was the importance of the Hellespont in the Byzantine period?". its geographical location stands out. Written data indicate that this location maintained its importance throughout the Byzantine period. According to these data, preliminary surveys were carried out in the region between 1999 and 2002. The data we obtained from these studies showed that both the surveys and the archaeological data particularly on the upper and middle sections of the strait were limited. This creates a serious problem in understanding the relationships between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean at the long distance and between the Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea at the short distance. To contribute to the settlement of this problem, we conduct archaeological surveys in order to determine the Byzantine settlements on the valleys that reached the Hellespont and to understand the settlement patterns.

This book presents a complementary synthesis of the newest research on the Negev Desert (Israel) in the Byzantine period (363-640 AD) including a holistic analysis of archaeological reports, historical sources, and field surveys with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The contextualization of settlement trends in the region reveals the subjectivity of some of earlier theories, which means that the study uses models developed as part of the French École des Annales discussion on the concept of long duration. Looking at the evolution of settlement from a regional and transregional perspective, through the prism of the cycle of behavioural domains, revealed a positive aspect of the transformation of society and settlement space: that the individual and community are able to resist and get out of difficult circumstances. The study also uses the paradigm of the rise and fall of cultures; in light of this, the long-term changes taking place in late antiquity appear to consist of relatively long periods of settlement expansion and short, sudden breakdowns.

This book provides a standard introduction to Byzantine art and architecture for the university student and for anyone seriously interested in the subject. It covers the whole Byzantine period from the fourth to the fourteenth century in a systematic manner, by period, dealing with material culture under main section headings (such as architecture, sculpture, monumental art, minor arts and manuscripts) for ease of reference. The text is illustrated by well over 300 maps, plans and halftones.