The Christianisation of the Peloponnese: The Case for Strategic Change

Abstract

The issue of the persistence of paganism is now quite well considered; however, it is only in recent times that the same concern approached from another perspective, the multifaceted nature of the Christianisation of the Peloponnese, has become the topic of detailed discussion. It is likely that Christianisation in Achaea took place incrementally and with a variety of effects according to the location. The processes of how this took place and under what circumstances remain to be discussed in detail. As a considered and active process, understanding methods of conversion should provide insights into the nature of society at the time, particularly in terms of communications. Church location reflects a range of choices made in terms of the conversion process and therefore is fundamental to analysing religious transformation. Such insights are important, particularly given the dearth of historical sources for, and difficulties of refining, church chronologies in the Peloponnese. In the case of the Late Antique Peloponnese, a great deal is known about many individual churches as a result of quite extensive excavation of a majority of them, particularly through the work of Pallas and Orlandos. This evidence, together with the results of a survey of all the known Late Antique churches in the Peloponnese undertaken in 2012, makes possible a synthetic interpretation of all the material within the surrounding landscape. While the precise chronologies may remain elusive, this present study shows how sociological theories of conversion processes can be applied to the topographic analysis of the Late Antique churches of the Peloponnese to help determine the nature of Christianisation across the diachronic range. In this work I will present some new theories regarding processes and phases of conversion, and the implications of these in terms of understanding networks and society in the Late Antique Peloponnese.

Destruction Layers, Urban Evolution, and Earthquakes in Roman Patras, Greece

“…One of the inferred earthquakes seems to have facilitated (or even triggered) the transition from the Roman, pagan culture to the Christian culture (excavation #40), in analogy to Crete (Stiros & Papageorgiou, ). Apart from this example, no historical or cultural gaps followed these inferred earthquakes (Sweetman, ), but life seems to have continued though at a much lower level, at least in some cases, and may have probably caused a gradual decline of the town since the 4th c . AD.…”

“…One of the inferred earthquakes seems to have facilitated (or even triggered) the transition from the Roman, pagan culture to the Christian culture (excavation #40), in analogy to Crete (Stiros & Papageorgiou, 2001). Apart from this example, no historical or cultural gaps followed these inferred earthquakes (Sweetman, 2015), but life seems to have continued though at a much lower level, at least in some cases, and may have probably caused a gradual decline of the town since the 4th c. AD. The legend for the transportation of the remains of St. Andrewswho was martyred in Patras on an X-type cross-to Scotland (Stiros & Pytharouli, 2014) in the sixth century may also be related to the decline of Patras after a destructive earthquake, but this is only a hypothesis.…”

“…In the majority of cases, however, usually a single phase of destruction is documented. In rare cases damage was dated rather precisely using numismatic evidence and stylistic evidence (see above); for example, in a pottery workshop next to an oracle, the destruction was assigned to an earthquake shortly after A.D. 300 (#1, Petropoulos, 1999), but the evidence of an earthquake is not convincing, and a deliberate destruction of one of the last pottery workshops producing pagan religious artifacts cannot be excluded; this is especially likely since this was a turbulent period marked with disputes between pagan and Christian zealots, shortly before the Edictum Mediolani in A.D. 313, a Decree of Emperor Constantin the Great, which recognized the Christian religion and a rather smooth transition to Christianization has been inferred (Sweetman, 2015). The evolution of the building and pottery style in provincial Roman Patras was slow, and the corresponding data do not permit reliable stylistic dating of destruction layers although, in a few cases, reliable and detailed dating is possible.…”

Networks and Church Building in the Aegean: Crete, Cyprus, Lycia and the Peloponnese

“…A topographic analysis of the Late Antique churches of the Peloponnese showed that the process of Christianisation of the region was a result of strategic change with planned and unintended outcomes (Sweetman 2015b). Given the persistent issues concerning secure chronologies for church foundations, this study approached questions of Christianisation through an innovative methodology: locations of churches were used as indices of change; their construction was attributed – depending on their topographic location – to a range of sociological processes, such as complexity, social movement and tipping point (Sweetman 2015b). Churches built in large port towns in the north-east (such as Kiato), and on the edges of major sanctuaries (like Epidavros), are likely to have been strategic foundations with intended outcomes.…”

“…Through more organic processes of unplanned change, articulated through social movement (which includes patronage, inheritance and other factors), it is likely that church building in the Peloponnese spread from sanctuaries and ports through a range of network connections (including, but not limited to, clerical, local and governmental factors) to the edges of busy towns such as Corinth and Argos (Sweetman 2015a). Within the broader context of the urban sphere, it is likely that the earliest churches were located on the edges of the Roman town and often on major routes, or in cemeteries, making the best of existing gathering-points (Sweetman 2015b). Churches erected in the centre of urban space, sometimes reusing earlier buildings, often represent a later phase of urban construction which commenced only after a number of Christian churches had already been well established in the surrounding area.…”