Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Βυζαντινή ΙστορίαLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Author:
Giannakopoulou Paraskevi
Supervisors info:
Κατερίνα Νικολάου, Αναπληρώτρια καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Τόνια Κιουσοπούλου, Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Σοφία Μεργιαλή-Σαχά, Αναπληρώτρια καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Βυζαντινή Θεσσαλονίκη (8ος-11ος αι.): H τῶν ἑσπερίων μητέρα πόλη και όψεις των σχέσεων με την Κωνσταντινούπολη
Translated title:
Byzantine Thessaloniki (8th-11th century): The Hesperian Mother City and aspects of relations with Constantinople
Summary:
With a solid historical and cultural course from the Hellenistic era to the present day and having been described as a "city of historical layers", Thessaloniki remains inextricably linked to its Byzantine past.
After the loss of the eastern provinces of the state and the subsequent absence of the major centers of the early Byzantine period, the only major city in Greece became the most important center on the periphery of Byzantium between the 8th and 11th century. The testimonies of the sources, the magnificent monuments and the results of the archaeological research compose the picture of an economic metropolis of the Balkans with a strong religious and artistic movement, the prosperity of which was not interrupted by the attacks of the Arabs, the Bulgars and the Normans.
The subject of this thesis is concerned aspects of the relations, connections and interactions that were developed between Thessaloniki and Constantinople during these centuries (8th-11th). The above topics touch upon issues of state organization and central power, warfare, economic activity and communication networks.
The conclusions that emerge relate to the position and role of Thessaloniki in the administrative and ecclesiastical organization of the state, the way in which the central power responded to the siege of the city by the Saracens in 904, the persons who posed a threat to the imperial power and were removed to Thessaloniki, the cases in which the city was the seat of subversive movements and the relationship between the Macedonian city and the policy of granting privileges in the 11th century. In addition, conclusions are drawn as to the importance of Thessaloniki as a military base during the period of Byzantium's confrontation with the Bulgars and the Normans. Finally, the study examines the extent to which the economic activities of the Byzantine metropolis, the organization of the market and the land and sea networks of communication that developed in the 10th century form the image of a ''Constantinople of the Balkans''.
The broader aims of the study were to present the history and topography of Middle Byzantine Thessaloniki, to reconstruct various aspects of life in a flourishing urban center of the Empire, and to interpret the contemporary perception of the Byzantine past of Thessaloniki, the Hesperian mother city of the Byzantine texts.
Main subject category:
History
Keywords:
Thessaloniki, Constantinople, byzantine urban center, Ioannis Kaminiates, central power, economic activity, communication networks, Bulgars, Normans, Arabs
Number of references:
346
