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The Byzantine Period...
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When the Roman Empire divided into two, Cappadocia fell
under the eastern region. In the early 7th century there were severe wars
between the Sassanid and Byzantine armies, and for 6 or 7 years the Sassanids held the area. In 638 Caliph Ömer ended the domination of the
Sassanids, and the Arab Ommayyads began to attack. |
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Coins from
Roman-Byzantine periods
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The long lasting religious debates among sects reached a
peak with the adoption of the Iconoclastic view by Leon III, who was
influenced by Islamic traditions.
Christian priests and monks who were in favour of icons began to take refuge in Cappadocia. The Iconoclastic period
lasted over a century (726-843). During this time, although several
Cappadocian churches were under the influence of Iconoclasm, the people who
were in favour of icons were able to continue to worship comfortably. |
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The process of settlement advanced rapidly during this
period, as Jewish settlements became well established in the Galilee, on the
Golan, and along the edges of the Judean hills. The region as a whole,
however, underwent a highly significant cultural process in the
Byzantine
period - the Christianization, accompanied by a struggle against the pagan,
Jewish, and Samaritan inhabitants.
Left: Clay oil lamp decorated with seven-branched
menorah, a shoval, and a shofar 4th century CE |
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Archaeological finds of this period reflect the merging
of Greek-Hellenistic, Roman, and
Christian cultures. The most salient finds
of the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods are the synagogues, which had become
the center of Jewish communal life following the destruction of the
Temple.
The architecture and art of these synagogues, and the issue of their dating,
stand at the center of archaeological research of the period. |
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