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SUMMARY:Mapping Medieval Trebizond (Trabzon) as an Urban Archaeology Pract
 ice - Selin Sur
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20240925T150000
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DTSTAMP:20260808T194011Z
UID:pretalx-spathum24-RSBGMN@pretalx.com
DESCRIPTION:Türkiye has a rich Byzantine heritage\; however\, it is gener
 ally neglected for several reasons and is constantly threatened by unplann
 ed urban ‘development’ in most places. Medieval Trebizond (modern Trab
 zon) has an essential place in the Byzantine world since it was the capita
 l of the Empire of Trebizond\, ruled by the Grand Komnenoi in the Late Med
 ieval period (1204-1461) until the Ottomans took the city. At this time\, 
 Trebizond was a vibrant crossroads of cultural confluence where Byzantine\
 , Latin\, Caucasian\, and Eastern influences converged. This convergence i
 s reflected in the urban fabric and architectural heritage\, which contain
 s invaluable historical and cultural treasures. \nAlthough Trabzon’s Med
 ieval heritage has largely been lost\, some of the most important building
 s of the period\, such as the imperial palace and fortifications\, religio
 us buildings\, and public open spaces\, have survived. Scholars have claim
 ed that the city's historical urban structure may have remained from Antiq
 uity (Bryer\, 1986). Also\, the city maintained its dispersed urban charac
 ter during the Ottoman and Republican periods\, even until the 1970s\, whe
 n rapid and haphazard urbanization began. \nShoreline expansions and const
 ructions against the preservation proposals and decisions by the Municipal
 ity of Trabzon’s urban development plan (1970) significantly changed the
  city’s topographical characteristics and irreversibly damaged the histo
 ric landscape. Some Byzantine buildings were deliberately demolished as la
 te as the second half of the 20th century. In addition\, top-down politica
 l decisions\, alienation of the Byzantine heritage\, neglect\, lack of mai
 ntenance\, and the passage of time threaten this unique heritage. Besides\
 , previous research on the Byzantine heritage of Trebizond is minimal\; no
 t much has been added to the scholarship after the seminal work of Bryer a
 nd Winfield (1985). Within this context\, the Byzantine stratum of Trabzon
  requires re-documentation\, reinterpretation\, and re-presentation to the
  public to ensure broader awareness and accessibility.\nThis research is p
 art of an ongoing dissertation aiming to identify\, document\, and analyze
  the Medieval Trebizond for a better recognition and preservation of its h
 eritage. This study investigates the medieval layer of the city through an
  urban archaeological approach. Within this frame\, the material and liter
 ary evidence are evaluated together to unravel the town’s medieval layer
  and understand the core urban aspects and the cultural\, religious\, and 
 urban life of that period traced into the urban structure. All components 
 of the historical urban setting are as vital as its architectural heritage
 \; therefore\, its identification and mapping are essential for conservati
 on and preventing further damage (ICOMOS\, 1964\; ICOMOS\, 1987\; ICOMOS\,
  2005\; UNESCO\, 2011). Charalambos Bouras’ (2002) methodological approa
 ch to studying a medieval town is embraced in this research. This includes
  –along with archaeological excavations– i) Unification of all the sur
 veys into a single plan of the present situation\; ii) Reconstruction of t
 he urban tissue of different periods\; iii) Identification of architectura
 l and urban uses\, with the assistance of movable finds related to product
 ion\; iv) Complementary interpretation of material and literary evidence\;
  v) Research into urban growth and its historical interpretation. Trabzon 
 has never been the subject of planned archaeological excavations until 202
 1\; therefore\, this research mainly employs the other methods of this app
 roach. \nGIS is an optimal tool to practice this methodology. To document 
 Trabzon’s medieval heritage\, a geodatabase has been created where all t
 he collected data from the literature\, archives\, and the site survey abo
 ut the existing and lost medieval buildings are stored and analyzed. Obvio
 usly\, to reveal the medieval layer of the city\, the locations of the los
 t heritage places need to be determined\, in addition to the existing heri
 tage. We georeference and superimpose historical maps\, survey maps create
 d by scholars and professionals\, and aerial photographs to pinpoint lost 
 buildings and determine the medieval topography\, urban structure\, and la
 nd use changes over centuries\, evaluating the outcome with other collecte
 d data. Crosschecking different sources is crucial as they include differe
 nt information\, and GIS makes this procedure easier and more accurate. Th
 is methodology also enables us to study Trabzon’s urban growth and analy
 ze the topographical\, diachronic\, and even demographic changes. \nWith t
 his research\, we aim to obtain a comprehensive map of the medieval herita
 ge of Trabzon and analyze the town’s urban character within the Late Med
 ieval (Byzantine) context. Dramatic demographic changes in the last centur
 y\, the eventual and significant loss of the majority of the city's Greek\
 , Armenian\, and Latin heritage\, continuous negligence of the Byzantine-p
 eriod heritage\, and relentless urbanization seriously altered the city’
 s essential characteristics. Mapping the medieval city will not only help 
 us understand its distinct aspects but also reveal the multicultural essen
 ce of the town\, which continued to exist until a century ago. \n\nReferen
 ces\nBouras\, Charalambos. 2002. “Aspects of the Byzantine City\, Eighth
 -Fifteenth Centuries.” In The Economic History of Byzantium: From the Se
 venth through the Fifteenth Century\, edited by Angeliki E. Laiou\, transl
 ated by John Solman\, 2:497–528. Washington\, D.C: Dumbarton Oaks Resear
 ch Library and Collection.\n\nBryer\, Anthony. 1986. “The Structure of t
 he Late Byzantine Town: Dioikismos and the Mesoi.” In Continuity and Cha
 nge in Late Byzantine and Early Ottoman Society: Papers given at a Symposi
 um at Dumbarton Oaks in May 1982\, edited by Anthony Bryer and Heath W. Lo
 wry\, 263–279.  Birmingham\, England: University of Birmingham\, Centre 
 for Byzantine Studies\; Washington\, D.C.\, U.S.A: The Dumbarton Oaks\, Re
 search Library and Collection.\n\nBryer\, Anthony\, and David Winfield. 19
 85. The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos. Vol. 1–2. Dumb
 arton Oaks Studies 20. Washington\, D.C: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library a
 nd Collection.\n\nICOMOS. 1964. International Charter for the Conservation
  and Restoration of the Monuments and Sites (the Venice Charter). Venice.\
 n\nICOMOS. 1987. Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban 
 Areas (Washington Charter). Washington D.C.\n\nICOMOS. 2005. Xi’an Decla
 ration on the Conservation of the Setting of Heritage Structures\, Sites a
 nd Areas. Xi’an.\n\nUNESCO. 2011. Recommendation on the Historic Urban L
 andscape. Paris.
LOCATION:MG1 00.04 Hörsaal
URL:https://pretalx.com/spathum24/talk/RSBGMN/
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