The history of Byzantine duchies of southern Italy: Naples and Amalfi from late antiquity to the early middle ages

Abstract

This dissertation explores the historical trajectories of two Byzantine duchies, Naples and Amalfi, situated along the Tyrrhenian coastline of Byzantine Italy. Chronologically, it focuses on the transitional period between Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, from the arrival of the Byzantine forces under the command of Belisarius on the Italian peninsula (6th century) to the establishment of the Catepanate of Italy in 965, which marked a new phase of Byzantine hegemony in the region. Geographically, the study concentrates on the urban centres of Naples and Amalfi and their respective hinterlands, extending northwards to Gaeta, another prominent Byzantine duchy, and southwards to the borders of the Principality of Salerno. By analysing these interconnected territories, this dissertation aims to shed light on the political, social, and economic, as well as religious dynamics and features that defined the Byzantine presence in southern Italy during the transformative period in relation to a wider coastal and insular system, the Byzantine koine.