About the Project
Although the study of the history and archaeology of Byzantium and its material culture has increased over the last decades, the picture of Greek society and its economy during the Middle Ages and Ottoman times remains far from complete. A clearer picture is needed of how urban places functioned as important cultural and administrative centres, as well as industrial and commercial actors in the local and globalising systems of travel, distribution, and trade. The HMC Project (in full: Hinterland of Medieval Chalkis Project) aims to uncover the intricate history of Medieval Chalkida through intensive and extensive surveys in the hinterland of the city.
The summer of 2024 kicks off our third season of the fieldwork project. The research is conducted in the hinterland of the Greek city of Chalkida on Euboea/Evia island (also known by its ancient name ‘Chalcis’ in English). This survey will be carried out by the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University (LU), the Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea (EAE) and the Hellenic Society for Near Eastern Studies (HSNES) under the auspices of the Netherlands Institute at Athens (NIA) as part of the project ‘Beyond Chalkida: Landscape and Socio-economic Transformations of its Hinterland from Byzantine to Ottoman Times’ (shortened to ‘Hinterland of Medieval Chalkida Project’ or ‘HMC Project’).
Research goals
To gain insight into the long-term changes in habitation, land-use, military organisation and socio-economic structure of the hinterland of Chalkida during the Byzantine (Egrippos), Latin (Negroponte) and Ottoman (Eğriboz) periods.
To construct a typo-chronological framework on the basis of surveys and pottery finds in order to understand ceramic use and production throughout the periods under study, and build a model of trends and transformations of local, regional, inter-regional and long-distance distribution patterns and pottery manufacture in the wider region.
To develop a better understanding of relations in terms of general trade, agriculture and industrial systems between Egrippos within the wider Byzantine Empire, and Negroponte and Eğriboz within the Latin and Islamic Eastern Mediterranean.
Material and methods
The HMC project followed from the Orionos Street project, which entailed a post-excavation investigation of archaeological material dug up during a rescue excavation in the city, which is now stored in the depot of the municipal archaeological authorities. The material is recorded in qualitative and quantitative ways, and its study involves an international group of students, historians, archaeologists, lab researchers, material specialists and other experts. The Orionos Street excavation yielded substantial material (mostly ceramics), which can be dated between Middle Byzantine to Early Modern times (roughly between the 10th-19th centuries). The research procedure of this project proved that it is highly effective in processing large amounts of finds in a limited amount of time and with few resources (in terms of workforce and facilities) at hand. The methodology is innovative because it differs from standard urban archaeological projects by moving away from (over)emphasising monumental architecture and focussing instead on objects of everyday life (such as pottery, glass, stone, metal, and bone finds).
The new fieldwork (HMC) project allows students to participate in intensive and extensive field surveys, enabling them to engage a vast landscape from many different perspectives. Students will experience the hinterland of Chalcis on Euboea island in all its different facets: from collecting the tiniest potsherd up to recording monuments and other features across the rural landscape. During the extensive survey, churches, towers, aqueducts and many other architectural remains from the past that are still visible in the landscape today will be mapped. During the intensive survey, new sites will be identified and classified. Artefact scatters and other material remains at these locations will be collected, processed, and documented. This new fieldwork project thus offers students an opportunity to get involved in interdisciplinary research. Many different techniques and methods are used, such as recording finds with a GPS and RTS, setting up a grid for field surveys and processing survey data. New innovative approaches will be used on-site, such as drones, photogrammetry, and recording data for 3D modelling.
Both projects are ground-breaking concerning student participation, because they are involved in many stages of archaeological research. Indeed, both projects offer students many opportunities to contribute to innovative archaeological studies and international scientific collaboration.
Expected results
and prospects
The first project aimed to develop a well-documented framework of the excavated ‘Orionos Street’ material in Chalcis (including detailed classifications, photographs, drawings, and 3D reconstructions of the finds) to understand the typo-chronology of the artefacts and their provenances. This comparative foundation will help interpret the findings from the upcoming surveys of the new (HMC) fieldwork project, identify sites in the hinterland, and classify the diachronic exploration and habitation and their functions in relation to Chalcis.
Finally, all the recorded material (excavated and surveyed finds) will be prepared for publication in academic journals and monographs. The research results will also offer opportunities for thematic exhibitions and public lectures as part of a general outreach to Greek and Dutch audiences. So far, an expert workshop on the ‘Orionos Street’ finds was organised at Leiden University in 2017, which resulted in several academic publications and contributions to conference proceedings by Vroom and others.