Metal production towards the end of Byzantine rule in eastern Macedonia

Abstract

Throughout the Middle Ages the Byzantine Empire consolidated control over much of Northern Greece to secure sources of iron and precious metals. Although the trade in Byzantine metalwork is known to have been extensive and far-reaching there is little archaeological evidence for the production sequences followed by Byzantine metalurgists. This paper aims to evaluate the evidence for metallurgical operations in Eastern Macedonia through the late Byzantine period in order to promote an understanding of the relationship between political change and technological practice.