Most early Byzantine cities were densely layered spaces. Embedded within sites of longstanding occupation, their urban fabrics contained numerous damaged, dilapidated, or merely outdated structures that were in need of repair or rebuilding. Professor Yasin will examine how architectural restoration work formed potent hinges between past and present and how early Byzantine patrons and authors capitalized on rebuilding projects as opportunities to concretize histories of place. Beyond offering us evidence about the evolution of the ancient city, Professor Yasin argues that early Byzantine testimony about architectural change—from archaeological remains and surviving building inscriptions to narratives of architectural rebuilding—helps us access contemporary understandings of the past and its perceptibility in the material world.
Ann Marie Yasin is Associate Professor of Classics and Art History at the University of Southern California.
