Abstract
The collaborative fieldwork undertaken at the Acropolis Basilica, Sparta has shown it to have been architecturally innovative for its time; particularly because of the evidence of the dome located over the bema area. Other features such as the centrally located ambo and the triple apse arrangement make the Basilica unusual although not unique. Moreover, the nature of the position of the Basilica in Lakedaemonia and the Byzantine Empire was unknown. To understand the monument within this broader context it is necessary to evaluate the results of the 2000 and 2001 fieldwork seasons in tandem with analyses of other such buildings in the Byzantine world. To this end we have begun to apply our research methodology to a comprehensive study of Basilicas within the Peloponnese. Although in its preliminary stages, through a comparison of its plan, architecture and phasing with that of other known Peloponnesian churches, we are gaining a better understanding of the chronology, function and status of the Acropolis Basilica. Following on from Evi Katsara’s presentation of the fieldwork undertaken at the Acropolis Basilica, this paper will illustrate how our architectural studies can be applied to other similar edifices in the Peloponnese, thereby providing a clearer context for the Acropolis Basilica.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Sparta and Laconia: from prehistory to pre-modern. |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the Conference held in Sparta, organised by the British School at Athens, the University of Nottingham, the Ephoreia of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and the 5th Ephoreia of Byzantine Antiquities 17-20 March 2005 |
| Editors | W.G. Cavanagh, C. Gallou, M Georgiadis |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | British School at Athens |
| Pages | 331-43 |
| Volume | 16 |
| ISBN (Print) | 0-904887-61-8 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |