Book contents
- Byzantium, Venice and the Medieval Adriatic
- British School at Athens Studies in Greek Antiquity
- Byzantium, Venice and the Medieval Adriatic
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Citation, Transliteration, Names, Titles and Dates
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 The Adriatic Sea 500–1100
- 2 Thinking of Linking
- 3 A Winter Sea?
- 4 The Origins of Venice
- 5 The Northern Adriatic Area between the Eighth and the Ninth Century
- 6 Provincia Iadrensis
- 7 Ravenna and Other Early Rivals of Venice
- 8 Byzantine Apulia
- 9 From One Coast to Another and Beyond
- 10 Icons in the Adriatic before the Sack of Constantinople in 1204
- 11 The Rise of the Adriatic in the Age of the Crusades
- 12 Venice in the Twelfth Century
- 13 Venice, the Ionian Sea and the Southern Adriatic after the Fourth Crusade
- 14 Sea Power and the Evolution of Venetian Crusading
- 15 Reassessing the Venetian Presence in the Late Medieval Eastern Adriatic
- 16 ‘Strangers in the City?’
- Conclusion
- Index
- References
3 - A Winter Sea?
Exchange and Power at the Ebbing of the Adriatic Connection 600–800
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 March 2021
- Byzantium, Venice and the Medieval Adriatic
- British School at Athens Studies in Greek Antiquity
- Byzantium, Venice and the Medieval Adriatic
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Citation, Transliteration, Names, Titles and Dates
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 The Adriatic Sea 500–1100
- 2 Thinking of Linking
- 3 A Winter Sea?
- 4 The Origins of Venice
- 5 The Northern Adriatic Area between the Eighth and the Ninth Century
- 6 Provincia Iadrensis
- 7 Ravenna and Other Early Rivals of Venice
- 8 Byzantine Apulia
- 9 From One Coast to Another and Beyond
- 10 Icons in the Adriatic before the Sack of Constantinople in 1204
- 11 The Rise of the Adriatic in the Age of the Crusades
- 12 Venice in the Twelfth Century
- 13 Venice, the Ionian Sea and the Southern Adriatic after the Fourth Crusade
- 14 Sea Power and the Evolution of Venetian Crusading
- 15 Reassessing the Venetian Presence in the Late Medieval Eastern Adriatic
- 16 ‘Strangers in the City?’
- Conclusion
- Index
- References
Summary
The article explores the role of the Adriatic seaborne exchange in the crucial seventh and eighth centuries. Against the backdrop of the historical narrative, which saw the year 700 as the low point of Adriatic exchange, the author proposes an alternative picture, mostly relying on the recent excavation in Comacchio, together with a reassessment of literary evidence. The article suggests that 700 represented an adjustment in the relations between the Byzantine fringes of the Adriatic and the imperial centre rather than a rupture in seaborne communication. Although relying on imperial identities and conceptions of authority, local aristocracies became growingly independent and increasingly defiant toward the authority of Constantinople. In the eight century, episodes such as the 727 rebellions or the 751 conquest of Ravenna, progressively worsened the relationship between the Adriatic towns and Constantinople until the final break. This was the premise to the rise of Venice and the other Adriatic towns.
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- Information
- Byzantium, Venice and the Medieval AdriaticSpheres of Maritime Power and Influence, c. 700-1453, pp. 83 - 97Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021