An Overview of Land Routes in Byzantine Anatolia (ca. 4th-7th c. CE)

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of land routes in Byzantine Anatolia during the period between the fourth and seventh centuries CE and aims to explain the development of the routes in Byzantine Anatolia in a changing context. Understanding the emergence of routes, which expanded in Byzantine Anatolia, comes from the earlier-built Roman roads. The development and the use of routes during the period in question were largely shaped by the construction and use of Roman roads, both administratively and politically. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Romans restored the main roads until the early seventh century, and maintained them during the Byzantine period. The use of routes was significantly impacted by the foundation of Constantinople as the new capital and the development of more ‘centralized rule’ in the Roman Empire in the fourth century. Rather than explaining and discussing all the routes of Anatolia in detail, this study aims to outline the ways in which major routes developed in Byzantine Anatolia.