Byzantine Empire

A Late Antiquity fortress wall tower from the Ancient Thracian, Greek, and Roman city of Odessos (Odessus) has been discovered by accident in the Black Sea city of Varna, with rescue archaeological excavations affirming data about the existence of Quaestura Exercitus, a peculiar administrative district in 6th century AD Byzantium (i.e.

"Templon: Sacred Figures, Invisible Gates of Faith," on display at the Museum of Byzantine Culture, showcases 97 20th century and contemporary church screens, which beyond being intricate works of art also separate the mortal world of the nave from the heavenly world of the sanctuary. Some of these pieces are on public display for the first time. Opening hours are daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Part of an Early Byzantine amphora with a fully preserved inscription in Ancient Greek dedicated to Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary has been discovered during the latest excavations of the Ancient Roman, medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian fortress of Trimammium near the Danube town of Mechka, Ruse District, in Northeast Bulgaria.

Learn more HERE!

Experts at the Culture Ministry’s restoration laboratory are currently restoring 452 pieces of historical Byzantine church icons, dating back to 7th century.

Karaburç castle and its historic walls, which have traces of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s İzmit district, will undergo restoration.

Archaeologists have discovered a huge water cistern plastered on the inside with pink waterproof mortar in the fortress of Rusocastro, a major stronghold which changed hands many times between the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires in the Middle Ages, and whose ruins are stiuated in today's Burgas District in Southeast Bulgaria.

Learn more HERE!

Beautifully preserved stone-built settlements and fortified towns spread all over Greece form a harmonious combination of local architecture and western influences. Silent witnesses of the country’s fascinating history are the ideal settings for you to rediscover romance.

Actors from the National Theater of Northern Greece will be reading extracts from Byzantine and post-Byzantine-era texts at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, in an event marking European Heritage Days. The event starts at 7.30 p.m. and admission is free of charge.

The mere utterance of the word Vikings, or Northmen as they were also known, used to strike fear in the hearts of the British just before and during the high middle ages, once these raiders found their way to the west and mainland Europe. Their contact with the French and British has been a subject of extensive research, not to mention successful movies and TV series.

Swiss-Italian architect Gaspare Fossati and his brother Giuseppe were responsible for overseeing the restoration of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia in 1847-49. Originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the city fell to the Ottomans in 1453.