D.’s volume, based on his doctoral thesis, is the result of impressive amounts of fieldwork and research on the Dodecanese and Eastern Aegean Islands. This has given D. valuable insights into the archaeology while enabling a strikingly well-illustrated piece of work with photographs, maps and plans. The study moves from the macro to the micro: beginning in Chapter 1 with a discussion of the islands, topography, chronology and material culture. Further contextual background of the fourteen islands that make up the present-day Dodecanese follows with brief analysis of the archaeological, historical and epigraphic data, fundamental for a study of this size. The administrative and political history is presented, first in Chapter 2, with a particular focus on the epigraphic and literary data. The wide chronological range covered here, Diocletian to Leo III, is condensed into a pithy summary of warfare, conflicts, the growing threat of the Arabs as they increased in strength and the overall bearing on provincial authority. A little more on the direct impact of internal conflict and wars on the islands themselves would have been helpful, but in general it is a useful summary.
Moving on from official structures, but still using the same kinds of data, Chapter 3 turns attention to individuals (bishops) and communities (primarily Christian and some Jewish) on the islands. There is a short paragraph on the evidence for Jewish populations, who are not well known in the Aegean in the late Roman period (in contrast to the earlier Roman period). Epigraphic and literary data suggest communities on Samos, Chios, Kos, Naxos and Syros, and some possible synagogues indicate communities on Aegina and Crete. This tantalising but short section has great potential for more analysis and discussion.
Chapter 4 is based on a 2011 article (‘Late Paganism on the Aegean Islands and Processes of Christianisation’, in L. Lavan and M. Mulryan [edd.], pp. 311–46) and is divided into sections including: the afterlife of pagan sanctuaries, the archaeology of temple conversion and early monasticism. A number of geographically diverse case studies discussed in each section allows a focused analysis. The Sanctuary of Lindian Athena, Rhodes, the Heraion at Samos, the Artemis cult on Patmos and the Sanctuary of Apollo and Heracles at Halasarna, Kos, are discussed in the first section. In the second, the Temple of Apollo Dalios and Ikarian inscriptions are the focus of the East Aegean islands while the Sanctuary of the Demeter at Naxos is also included as a case study. Without more analysis, broad statements based on individual sites are difficult to support, such as the conclusion that Naxos had an ‘island wide policy’ of appropriating pre-Christian buildings (p. 27). This and D.’s points about unrest between the resident Jewish and Christian populations on Ikaria (pp. 29–30) are important, and signify a key area of research to tackle in the near future.
D. makes a great start on outlining what is known about monasteries, and his honest approach in terms of summarising the issues with their identification (including a lack of a set architectural form) means that there is scope for more discussion based on his helpful initial account. The use of case studies in this chapter enables an in-depth discussion on the sites of focus and shores up the arguments for different levels of religious change at individual sites (e.g. Heraion on Samos versus Athena Sanctuary in Lindos on Rhodes). He offers some consideration of differences on individual islands (e.g. the presence of a Christian missionary community on Ikaria), and the Christianisation analysis at the end of Chapter 4 is also helpful.
Chapter 5 is in many respects the heart of the work containing impressive amounts of original material based on extensive fieldwork. While the gazetteer of sites provides the archaeological context for the discussion, by drawing on survey, rescue excavation and other evidence, D. integrates the analysis well and successfully moves away from the more traditional approaches to the period that focus on church architecture in isolation. The evidence from individual sites is naturally varied; for example, the urban focuses on Kos and Rhodes highlight different levels of surviving data. The lack of literary evidence for Kalymnos and Telendos and the surrounding small islands is countered by the high number of churches found there (p. 40). A little more discussion of the chronological development here would have helped with the overall views on Christianisation indicated in Chapter 4. This chapter also offers a refreshing look at the rural data which provide a more enhanced view of the region.
Chapter 6 focuses on a broad view of the economy in the Eastern Mediterranean generally before an analysis of Cyprus, the islands and Caria as provinces of the quaestura exercitus created in 536 (p. 89). Ultimately D. sees a shared ‘rural prosperity and economic expansion during the 5th to 7th century’ in these areas (p. 89).
One of the great values of this book is the long chronological view provided, and it is both a rarity and a bonus to have so much material for the seventh century, a period that is often sidelined. As such the long range in Chapter 7 enables multiple viewpoints of the late-antique material; the change from polytheistic to monotheistic religious practice to the growing power of Christianity. The dramatic changes in the seventh century are highlighted, particularly in the economy and with the expansion of Arab rule. The archaeological gazetteer, with impressive plates and illustrations, is an excellent resource, which will be useful to archaeologists and other academics. While the church locations are provided, it would also have been useful to include plans of the cities where more than a couple of churches have been located (for example Kos town). Clearly it is not possible to cover every detail, but where dates and identifications are in doubt (e.g. Rhodes 35 or Chalki 6), more explanation would have helped to justify cases of doubt, and a little more detail on features such as interior decor would have been desirable.
The strengths of the volume lie in the thorough fieldwork and revised analysis of the epigraphic data. At times the text is a little clunky with repetition and some material needs a little more support. The nature of the evidence inevitably means that questions are raised that need to be addressed in more detail. For example, the location and role of Jewish communities, as well as monastic sites in the spread of Christianity and, on p. 13, the supposed lack of evidence for martyrs associated with Rhodes town or anywhere else on the islands. While the difficulties with identifying monastic sites are clear, a little more analysis on the presence of monasteries and their potential impact would have been stimulating; perhaps through more comparative analysis with areas such as Lycia and Cilicia, where many monastic complexes have been identified.
The fieldwork which underpins the volume is tremendous. The case study approach enables valuable detail on rural contexts and monasteries. Such an approach is effective in terms of analysing a vast amount of data, however, it hinders a wider archipelago view of conversion processes and interactions on a wider scale. Overall, there are a number of treats in this book and a few areas with significant potential for further research.
