Byzantine small finds and their workshops in Ephesus

The intended study is part of a large-scale research on Byzantine Ephesus within the framework of a cooperation project between the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI; Dir. S. Ladstätter) and the Institute for Studies in Ancient Culture/Austrian Academy of Sciences (Dir. A. Pülz). The aim of this project is an interdisciplinary study on the development of the city and the material culture in the Byzantine period in the Metropolis Asiae. Work on the material is to concentrate on the one hand on finds from current excavations in the Early Byzantine residential quarters and in the so-called Byzantine Palace, on the other hand it is to focus on the so-called old findings from the Terrace House 2 (Tabernae, workshops) and other locations in Ephesus such as the Church of Mary. The final evaluation is to contain all Byzantine small finds - including the material already published, for example from the so-called St Luke`s Tomb. Due to an official cooperation with the Ephesos-Museum in Selçuk it is possible to include objects which do not actually originate from Austrian excavations (they come from Turkish excavations e.g. in the Basilica of St John) or derive from unknown contexts found in Selçuk and its surroundings (these finds were given to the museum by the local people). In the same way the Byzantine finds which were brought from Ephesus to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna in the late 19th and beginning of the 20th century, will likewise be considered. The Ephesian material consists of jewellery, dress ornaments and objects of daily use and covers a time frame from the Early to the Late Byzantine period. The materials used are gold, silver, copper alloys and bone. The object groups include pendants, bracelets, earrings, finger rings, pins and brooches, as well as belts components (like buckles, strap ends, belt fittings). The crosses generally made of bronze and silver include about 80 pieces and offer an excellent view of this group of liturgical objects from the Early to the Late Byzantine period. In addition to dress ornaments, jewellery and liturgical objects there are also cosmetic and medical instruments (e.g. ear spoons), weapons (e.g. arrowheads), basic commodities and household equipment. This includes jars and pots made of metal, chains for lamps, weights, bells, spoons, furniture and door fittings, nails and locks as well as scales. The aim is a holistic historico-cultural and contextual analysis of the Byzantine material from Ephesus with the aim of presenting the material in the form of a monograph.

The Ephesian small finds examined during this project include 1 100 artifacts, which derive from different localities and contexts (settlement areas and graves) throughout Ephesus and its surroundings. Thus a unique opportunity of a presentation of the material of an entire region was offered. This is particularly relevant in terms of large groups of objects such as finger rings, belt buckles or crosses whose analysis enabled us to trace regional trends and local preferences of the population and to confront them with other well-documented regions. The material culture of the Byzantine period in Ephesus includes not only jewellery and garment decoration, but magical artifacts and small finds with liturgical background, stamps, medical and cosmetic instruments, counters, scales and weights, tools and weapons as well as implements including various lighting devices, locks and keys. Also multiple materials were involved: luxury goods were made from precious metals and ivory, however, ordinary jewellery and dress ornaments were usually fabricated from nonferrous metals and glass. The luxury goods from sacral/religious areas include processional crosses, incense burners, polykandela and votive icons. Primarily small finds are testimonies of daily life, but also demonstrate technical skills, economic and trade relations, as well as religious and artistic notions. However, the perception of Byzantine material culture nowadays is largely determined by the luxury goods made of gold and silver, although these represent only a small part of the Byzantine small finds. Therefore, this study, concerning numerous objects made of different copper alloys, is highly significant, because these objects are able to contribute valuable information to the research of everyday material culture and history during Byzantine times.The declared goal was to give a most complete presentation of the Ephesian material including a contextual analysis if possible. In this context, a number of detailed aspects was in the focus of interest, such as questions on the manufacturing techniques and the chemical composition of individual objects. The analysis of the Byzantine small finds was therefore carried out both archaeologically as well as technologically, which ought to allow a holistic view of the material. Through collaborations with specialists from different disciplines and their respective methods and different research areas (workshops, techniques, chemical composition and origin of the metal) this study should lead to a comprehensive view of Ephesus in the Byzantine period.