Shifting Populations in the Late Roman Balkans from the Danube to the Aegean Sea (6th-7th century)
An online workshop on cultural and demographic changes in the Balkan Peninsula during Late Antiquity in the light of historical and archaeological evidence
Organising committee: Priscilla Ralli (École Française d’Athènes), Ivan Gargano (Археолошки институт / Archaeological Institute, Belgrade)
During the 6th and 7th centuries, the Balkan Peninsula was an area of encounter and conflict between the Roman Empire and different people: Gepids, Lombards, Avars, Slavs and Proto-Bulgars. The arrival of these populations on the Peninsula led to a redefinition in institutional, cultural and demographic terms. The consequences were profound for other territories as well. The gradual collapse of Roman authority in the Balkan area led to the failure to contain those migratory waves whose cumulation seem to have been the sieges of Thessaloniki and Constantinople in 615 and 626. The relationship between the Empire and the so-called Barbarians was heterogeneous and complex. Phases of peaceful coexistence alternated with moments of tension or open hostility. In these dynamics, the diplomacy has always played a decisive role. The complexity of these interactions in the 6th and 7th centuries constitutes a fundamental research topic in order to understand the changes that took place in South-Eastern Europe. This workshop is intended to organise, on the basis of the most recent scientific findings, a debate on the historical, archaeological and cultural issues related to this context of significant geopolitical change. The aim is to shed light on the relationship between the Romans and the new populations, the documented forms of interaction, the concrete demographic impact of migrations, and the changes that they had on settlement of the Balkans.