Abstract

As opposed to the Mediterranean, on which studies dedicated to Byzantine trade and connectivity abound, the Black Sea remains for many scholars a veritable terra incognita that awaits to be fully investigated. The reasons behind this lacuna are numerous, and range from the poor state of archaeological remains, to the chronic lack of studies dedicated to material culture of this period. This talk will attempt to explore the evolution of trade networks between the 4th and 8th centuries AD in the Black Sea, with specific focus on its southern and eastern coasts (modern-day Turkey and Georgia). During this, it will introduce the results of two study campaigns conducted by the speaker in Georgia between 2017 and 2018, that included the study of museum collections and structural surveys of coastal settlements in the provinces of Guria and Adjara.