Documentation and evaluation of the greek inscriptions of Crete (13th-17th c.)

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Vasiliki Tsamakda
• Subject Area: Ancient History ; Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 245593352

The objective of the project is to thoroughly and systematically document the Greek inscriptions of Crete in the time of the Venetian occupation (1211-1669) and to evaluate them from a historical-cultural point of view. On the present state of knowledge there are 462 inscriptions on 343 media, the great majority of which is located in rural churches and monasteries.The significance of this rich treasure of inscriptions, which surprisingly has been little considered in the previous research, lies firstly in the transmission of valuable historical, church historical, sociological and cultural information and secondly in their important references, which provide insights for art historians and philologists. In this sense the inscriptions are a true treasure trove. The information they contain allow insights into the nature of the society which produced them, their religious and political ideas as well as conclusions regarding patronage and its motives, the painting workshops active on the island and the language and expressions used. From this period and these rural areas, other than these sources there is hardly any written evidence in Greek, apart from some literary works whose information is more important for understanding the history of Cretan cities. Furthermore, the Venetian occupation (1211-1669) and the geopolitical position of Crete between the East and the West provide an especially fascinating framework, which is of essential significance for European Medieval Studies. Moreover it should be highlighted that compared to other regions of the Byzantine cultural sphere, a very high percentage of the Cretan inscriptions are dated. In addition, it is notable that the Cretan inscriptions preserve the majority of the painters names from the entire Byzantine area. All this offers ideal circumstances for research into the historical-cultural point of view.The scientific documentation and evaluation of the Cretan inscriptions will thus provide us with an overdue and indispensable tool, which will be an important contribution to fundamental research and will serve as a starting point for further examinations into an extensive range of other areas.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants