The Insular Worlds of Byzantium

Dumbarton Oaks, Dumbarton Oaks, Research Library and Collection, 1703 32nd Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007

Speakers at this annual day-long colloquium will address the topic of Byzantine Islands as cultural hubs. The exploration of islands as hubs where Byzantine, Islamic, and Western European cultures encountered and influenced the local political, economic, and social structures will permit new insights into the networks of island societies and their legacies. Not only were islands located along commercial shipping routes, but, as spaces of adaptive economic activities and social strategies that were molded by military and political realities, they presented unique opportunities for cultural interconnections. In this context, the ‘Insular Worlds of Byzantium’ will provide new and revised perspectives on the Byzantine Mediterranean and beyond.