Research at the RGZM

Main Researches

Transformation and Exchange at the Edge of the Mediterranean World

The goal of this research project is to study the cultivation processes between governed areas and the associated cultures on the borders of the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. This has to do with the relationship of local cultural groups to the political-cultural centres at Rome, respectively Constantinople, as well as the cultural exchange between the empire and the adjacent domains. The cultural elements that can be easily determined are especially observed- for example, that representative objects become more valuable when they can’t be obtained very easily- and which remain stabile over a longer period of time, though the opportunity to adopt had definitely existed. Similarly, housing forms and settlement structures should also be mentioned. In Pre-history, opportunities to communicate were mainly carried out through trade and population movement, as was required by military service or for settling purposes. Eventually, it took place in the form of diplomatic communication, through which even higher-ranked objects were traded, influencing the arts and crafts of the individual cultures.

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Research at the RGZM

Main Researches

Transformation and Exchange at the Edge of the Mediterranean World

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