The shifting tides of the Middle Byzantine Aegean: maritime networks through the lens of the ecclesiastical complex at Hephaestia (Lemnos - Greece)

In the intricate geopolitical landscape of the Byzantine era, the Aegean Sea held paramount significance, both strategically and in terms of its economic and political importance. From the 7th c., with the expansion of the Arab Caliphate in the Mediterranean, Constantinople lost control over Asia Minor, various regions in the Near East, North Africa and Sicily. However, it secured its hegemony over the Aegean Sea. This Byzantine mare internum served as a pivotal hub within the commercial and maritime passage connecting East and West. Nevertheless, short and medium-range maritime cabotage sea networks have tended to be overlooked. To augment this field of research, this paper will scrutinise material culture evidence from the Middle Byzantine monastic complex at Hephaestia - Lemnos (Greece), excavated by the Italian Archaeological School at Athens in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesbos. The objective is to explore some of the various actors and commodities navigating the Aegean maritime pathways, which facilitated the exchange of goods, artisanal expertise and everyday life practices along the Aegean coasts and beyond.