The recent success of the Byzantium 330-1453 exhibition at the Royal Academy has greatly increased interest in, and awareness of, Byzantine civilisation. In particular the exhibition threw light on its inheritance in other cultures. The purpose of this colloquium is to present in London, for the first time, some of the spectacular new discoveries from current excavations in Istanbul (see, for example, the recent BBC report on the neolithic finds, and a recent article on the harbour finds). These have increased our understanding both of the Byzantine and of the pre-Byzantine city ; we will also explore the theme of the post-Byzantine heritage of the City, and look forward to the role of Istanbul as European Capital of Culture 2010. The colloquium is being convened by Professor Judith Herrin. It will take place on Saturday, 13th June, in the Lucas Theatre, Strand Building, King's College : see campus plan. Attendance is open to all, including King's alumni attending the Alumni Weekend.
Acknowledgements
This is the annual Byzantine colloquium sponsored by the Institute of Classical Studies. This particular event has been made possible by the generous support of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, and the friendly collaboration of colleagues at the school of Oriental and African Studies, and at Royal Holloway College.
Programme
10.45 Welcome : Professor Judith Herrin (King's College London, University of London)
New Discoveries in Byzantium
11.00 Professor Sevil Gülçur (Department of Prehistory, Istanbul University), Prehistory Sealed by the Sea. Recent Neolithic Discoveries from the Byzantine Harbour of Istanbul
12.00 Professor Cemal Pulak (Nautical Archaeology Program, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University), Recent Excavations at Yenikapi, Istanbul-Turkey : Shipwrecks of Portus Theodosiacus, the Byzantine Port of Constantinople
Lunch break
Byzantium in Turkey
14.30 Dr Jonathan Harris (Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London), A lost Byzantine church : Envisaging the Perivleptos (Sulu Manastir)
15.00 Professor Dr Alessandra Ricci (Department of Archaeology and History of Art, Koç University, Istanbul), Giving back Byzantine spaces : recent discoveries in the Asian suburbs of Istanbul
15.30 Dr Yorgo Dedes (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London), "Byzance après Byzance" or The 'Rum connection' in the Ottoman empire
16.30 Professor Ilber Ortayli (Topkapi Museum, Istanbul), Byzantium's heritage and the Ottoman Empire
17.00 Byzantium in Istanbul 2010 : A round table discussion
Practical
Attendance is open to all. For further information please email bmgs@kcl.ac.uk
Source : King's College London. Photo : Panoramic view of the Golden Horn in Istanbul, as seen from the Galata Tower (Author : Mehmet Y.S., 2007, in Wikimedia Commons).