2024-25

The subject matter of the course is material culture and societies during the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods and the Bronze Age throughout the Balkans and Anatolia. The aim of the course is to present in summary form matters regarding the spatial organization, architecture, burial practices and material culture of prehistoric communities during the chief periods of prehistory in the various regions in question, together with interpretations and views regarding economy, social organization and social relations.

The course deals with the gradual penetration by Latins of the Byzantine empire and the conquest of Byzantium by the Crusaders in 1204. It examines in detail Venetian rule in Crete, the Ionian Islands and the Peloponnese, with emphasis upon various matters regarding the administrative and social organization, relations between Orthodox and Latins, the cultural environment and the economic activity of Venetian citizens. The course rests on the examination of archival sources, which it employs to justify the various conclusions that it draws.

The course deals with the presence of Islam in the Balkans from a historical and
anthropological point of view. In chronological terms, it deals with the period from the end
of the 19th century to the final decade of the 20th century. It focuses upon socio-political
developments in the Balkans at the start of the 1990s and on their consequences for Islam in