Amorium: A Byzantine City in Anatolia - An Archaeological Guide

by Chris Lightfoot, Mücahide Lightfoot

Although less well known than some Anatolian sites, it is Amorium's significance as a major settlement after the Roman period that makes it so important. The excavation programme's main aim has been to shed light on the Byzantine settlement that flourished here until the 11th century AD. This guidebook is an attempt to fill in some of the gaps in the archaeology, and to bring the city and its history back to life.

180 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2006

Reviews

[José Luís Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enlightening and entertaining book for "Byzantinists" on the city of Amorion, from the Bronze Age up to the Ottoman period, with an obvious focus upon the medieval Roman period. This case study is very important both as a study of the few cities that managed to survive the 7th century without becoming fortified little towns and a glimpse of urban life throughout the medieval period (a barely studied topic), including the urban boom of the 10th-12th centuries (Amorion was reoccupied at the end of the 9th century and thrived up to the late 11th century). Besides the archaeological "report", this booklet has also a small chapter on the Amorian dynasty and the Abbasid siege of 838, which took and ruined the city for around 50 years (it is interesting Theophilos didn't have much interest in resettling the city much like he did with Ankyra, for instance).