Gephyra (May 2021)

Thebasa and the Byzantine-Arab Frontier of the Middle Taurus. Observations in confinio Lycaoniae atque Ciliciae

  • Robert Rokicki

DOI
https://doi.org/10.37095/gephyra.880929
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21
pp. 135 – 160

Abstract

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This paper proposes a new location of the Lycaonian city of Thebasa at Pınarkaya (Divaz) in the province (il) of Karaman and provides a critical analysis of its previous identifications. It revaluates the importance of Thebasa in a broader, geo-historical context pointing out its transformation from a commercial hub to a strategic military base. Through several unpublished sites, the paper presents a fresh look at the settlement and communication networks of the Middle Taurus Region. It also develops new interpretations of the dynamics of Byzantine-Arab relations at the turn of the eighth and ninth centuries.

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