Bizans Karanlık Çağında Polisin Sonu, Ekonomik Düzen: Amorium Örneğinde Ortaçağ Bizans Kentleşmesi

Abstract

In the conventional traditional literature the life of ancient polis demonstrates its last of the antique city-characteristics during the late antique and/or early Byzantine periods. This period came to an end in the seventh century first by the Persian attacks, later by the Arab invasions. The uniterraupted warfare and consequently a growing need for defence and security turned polis into a small, fortified units, i.e. the so-called medieval kastron.

Although this common view has some truth and legitimacy, it still provides a quite simplified and incomplete model about the transformation of the Byzantine cities. Therefore this pioneer study analyses causes and factors which effect this transformation of polis and in the meantime it also epitomizes related topics from a political, social and economic point of views stretching from the late antique to the end of early Middle Ages. In this context the ancient city of Amorium as the model of medieval urban city and its urbanite topographies and its architecture provide the perfect example illustrating this phenomenon.