The Legacy of Byzantine Christianity in the Southern Mani Peninsula, Greece, after Imperial Collapse
Publication Date
2021
Journal or Book Title
Rituals, Collapse, and Radical Transformation in Archaic States
Abstract
Religion is one of the many potential mediums for emphasizing ethnic difference and highlighting group membership. Particularly in mountainous landscapes, which are difficult for imperial or state powers to control, religion may be a key means of asserting peripherality. The residents of the Mani Peninsula, Greece, converted to Orthodox Christianity during the reign of the Byzantine Empire and maintained this religious affiliation even after Byzantine collapse in 1463 CE, when the region came under Ottoman and, later, Venetian rule. This study reviews the research on Mani’s Byzantine churches to date – much of which is published in Greek – and presents new interpretations of the religious practices of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine communities of Mani. This case study sheds light on the role of religion in rural communities and the potential reasons for religious continuity in peripheral landscapes during periods of social transformation. In particular, the firm adherence of Mani’s residents to Orthodox Christianity emphasized their ethnic difference from the ruling authorities and simultaneously undermined these authorities’ ability to assert hegemonic power in the region.
ISBN
9780367230265
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-4372-2164
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/w64z-5t32
Pages
56-76
License
UMass Amherst Open Access Policy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Funder
National Science Foundation (BCS-1346694), ArchaeoLandscapes Europe, University of Illinois at Chicago, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 750843)
Recommended Citation
Seifried, Rebecca M., "The Legacy of Byzantine Christianity in the Southern Mani Peninsula, Greece, after Imperial Collapse" (2021). Rituals, Collapse, and Radical Transformation in Archaic States. 90.
https://doi.org/10.7275/w64z-5t32
Comments
Recommended citation:
Seifried, Rebecca M. 2021. "The Legacy of Byzantine Christianity in the Southern Mani Peninsula, Greece, after Imperial Collapse.” In Rituals, Collapse, and Radical Transformation in Archaic States, edited by Joanne M.A. Murphy, pp. 56–76. New York: Routledge.