The island of Lesvos in the Middle Byzantine era: the evidence of sculpture

Lesvos, one of the largest and most prosperous islands of the Aegean, is mainly known in the Middle Byzantine era as a place of exile of former or future rulers and other significant persons. Apart from the fortifications of the major settlements and the only two standing churches, architecture and art of this period on the island remain rather obscure to us. However, the unnoticed spolia of Middle Byzantine architectural sculpture that are found scattered around Lesvos, may shed new light on this issue. This is the subject of my current fieldwork, with the permission of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesvos. Most of these spolia come from dismantled sanctuary screens (templa), while there are several architectural members and funerary reliefs. Their study offers new evidence on building activity, church architecture, stylistic trends in decorative arts, masons’ workshops, exchanges with neighboring regions or the Byzantine capital, the customs of the local elites, monasticism and other topics.