Cyprus and the Balance of Empires: Art and Archaeology from Justinian I to the Coeur de Lion (Archaeological Reports) (ASOR Archaeological Reports): 20 - Hardcover

Annemarie Weyl Carr

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0897570731 ISBN 13: 9780897570732

Publisher: American Schools of Oriental Research, 2014

Synopsis

Between 491 and 1191 AD, Cyprus was influenced by various political and cultural centres that vied for dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean. This collection of essays primarily focuses on the island's archaeology when it was governed by the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. Greek and Orthodox Christian identity was cultivated during this period, which provided a sense of unity among the various provinces; and yet, the surviving historical and archaeological data concerning Cyprus is unique in that it expresses both local and regional characteristics. By investigating the various threads, whether textual, numismatic, architectural, or artistic, narrative has emerged that challenges our past assumptions. The themes covered in this volume developed from a conference held in Nicosia, organized by the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute celebrating the 50th year anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus. An international group of experts explored several themes such as: the impact of recent archaeological discoveries; the shift from studying Late Antique urbanism to rural development; indicators of Cypriot identity; shifts in population settlement, production and trade; cultural interaction between Islam and Christianity; the significance of ceramic and numismatic evidence; monumental figural arts and their iconographical interpretation. The resulting chapters provide new and previously unpublished data, and should be considered a major contribution to Late Antique and Medieval studies. 151 colour and black & white illustrations included.

About this title

Review:

..".In this volume, each essay offers some valuable perspective or suggestion that contributes to our broader understanding of the art, history, and archaeology of late antique, Byzantine, and medieval Cyprus." --Young Richard Kim, Calvin College, Review of Biblical Literature, 8.18.16 "Beautifully and extensively illustrated throughout, the strengths of this collection lie in the impressively long periods covered and the inclusion of binary approaches such as urban/rural like (Rautman), interior/exterior views of the islands (Papacostas) and religious/secular life (Parani). Much recommended." --Rebecca Sweetman, University of St. Andrews, Medieval Archaeology Vol 59 (2015)

About the Author:

Charles Anthony Stewart is Assistant Professor of Medieval Art and Architecture at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. Thomas W. Davis is an archaeologist with more than two decades of field experience in Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, and the United States, from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Annemarie Weyl Carr was member of the department of Art History at the Southern Methodist University.

About this edition

• Publisher: American Schools of Oriental Research
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0897570731
• ISBN 13: 9780897570732
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 264
• Editor: Annemarie Weyl Carr, Thomas W. Davis, Charles Anthony Stewart