Creative Thinking and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Byzantine Artistic Production
abstract
Metal objects represent a valuable means to explore the process of artistic production in Byzantium. From gold to bronze, they offer insight into the relationship between crafts and the multiple parameters governing social life. The network of relations involved in the production, use, and distribution of metal objects also places them at the centre of intra- and interdisciplinary exchange among Byzantinists. The literature devoted to them originates within the various subdisciplines constituting Byzantine studies, ranging from epigraphy and philology to dynastic history and art history to archaeology. Their link to numismatics further opens horizons in the study of the Byzantine economy. The scholarly standards instituted across academic fields through interdisciplinary contacts and the knowledge brought to light by such exchanges have the multiplying effect of developing new areas of study and refining the methodologies applied to the analysis of metal objects.
Keywords: Inscriptions • Metalwork • Vocabulary • Crafts • Epigrams