Mighty in Medieval Cappadocia: House of Skepides, lecture by Ceylan Karaca (Hacettepe University), Byzantium at Ankara Spring Seminar Series 2020/21 via Zoom, February 4, 2021, 6:00 pm (Istanbul Time Zone)

The presence of three inscriptions in three different churches in the Soganlı Valley in Cappadocia and the evaluation of the valley as a Byzantine village constitute the main problematic of the talk (and of the thesis as well). The donor and supplicatory inscriptions not only indicate that a powerful person entered the village at the beginning of the eleventh century at the latest, but also evince that the village changed hands between two powerful households at a certain point at that century. These two powerful oikoi, one of which is the house of Skepides, exemplify the change in the balance of power in the eleventh century. What exemplifies the tenth century of the village is a formation of five churches which looks more like a formation open to the use of the whole village. Dr. Karaca will try to use historical data to approach the valley as a piece of land controlled by and changed hands between the powerful

The Byzantine Seminar Series “Byzantium at Ankara” is an event organized and hosted in collaboration by the Department of History at Bilkent University and the Department of History of Art at Hacettepe University which will be held over the entire 2020/21 academic year. It is organized by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sercan Yandim (Hacettepe University) and Asst. Prof. Dr. Luca Zavagno (Bilkent University).

The object of the series of talks is to engage Byzantine scholars from different backgrounds and areas of expertise in a conversation on issues which relate and resonate with the current socio-political and economic situation. The importance of building these connections should put Byzantium in a global, modern and historical perspective.

All the sessions will be broadcasted via Zoom. Pre-registration at byzantiumatankara@hotmail.com is required. A link to attend the seminar will be sent one hour before the start of the meeting.