‘Outsiders’ in Byzantine Islands:  Monks, and Religious Leaders Across the Mediterranean

Growing interest in Mediterranean history has predictably increased attention to islands and their role as hubs of economic and cultural exchanges and interconnections. Historians and archaeologists have turned to issues of connectivity and insularity in their efforts to understand the mechanisms behind transformative developments across the Mediterranean. In this framework, the role of islands in the framework of empires remains a fascinating challenge that permits a range of inquiries on different aspects of Byzantine society, economy and culture. Of course, the issue of travel, mobility and migration is quite relevant in any attempt to study Byzantine islands.

This project addresses issues of migration, cult and identity in insular settings. We are particularly interested in the ways mobile “outsiders” inserted themselves, adjusted to and contributed to the cultural landscapes of the Mediterranean, especially it’s islands. Among these outsiders, travelling monks and religious leaders were instrumental agents of cultural influence as well as key representatives of the Byzantine state. We want to comparatively look at how narratives, monuments and traditions helped to embed the stories of these outsiders into the local cultural experience and thus become part of local identity. Of course, we want to study and understand the sociopolitical and economic conditions, events and contexts behind the arrival and actions of outsiders in Mediterranean localities. We will use several examples of religious figures traveling to the Byzantine Mediterranean insular spaces in the early Middle Ages as well as monks finding the ideal ascetic environment on small (and large) islands.