International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Myrto Veikou
Uppsala University, Department of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala, Sweden; 
[e-mail]
Settlement and Material Culture in the Inner Ionian Sea Archipelago 
and Its Vicinity during the Byzantine Period
This paper will present a brief account of Byzantine settlement and material culture within 
the Inner Archipelago of the Ionian Sea, based on evidence deriving from the “Inner Ionian Sea 
Archipelago Survey” Project (2010-2014). This Project has been conducted under the scientific 
supervision of Nena Galanidou (Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Crete) in 
collaboration with the 36
th
Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, represented by the 

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Ephors of Antiquities Ms Maria Gatsi (2010) and Dr Olympia Vicatou (2011 to present) and 
has been funded by the University of Crete and the Municipality of Meganissi. Alongside with a 
discussion of the overall Byzantine settlement and land use, the paper will give special focus on the 
discussion of medieval and post-medieval ceramics, which have derived from the archaeological 
survey investigation and have been studied by the speaker and Professor Joanita Vroom (Leiden 
University). All evidence will be examined towards a comparative evaluation of settlement patterns 
and material culture in the Inner Archipelago, its vicinity and the western coast of Epirus during 
the Byzantine period
.
Ioannis P. Chouliarás
Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Ephorate of Antiquities of Thesprotia, Ioannina, Greece; 
[e-mail]
Newly Discovered Frescoes in the Middle-Byzantine Church 
of the Transfiguration of Christ near Plakoti of Thesprotia
The church of the Transfiguration of Christ near the village Plakoti of Thesprotia belongs to 
the architectural type of the free cross, having a six-sided dome and a semicircular apse. In the 
inside of the nave, under new coatings, there are some very interesting wall paintings, which may be 
dated to the late twelfth or early thirteenth century and which almost all of them were known to the 
scientific community. However, during conservation works on the walls of the sanctuary, we located 
frescoes of the same period and a previous layer which can hardly be dated. The iconographical 
program of the sanctuary includes the enthroned Virgin in the apse, the Annunciation, hierarchs, 
prophets, deacons and the Christ Emmanuel on the southern wall. On the eastern wall of the nave 
fragments of frescoes covering the previous layer have been revealed which could be dated to the 
fifteenth century.