During the 6th and 7th centuries, the Balkan Peninsula was a region of interaction and conflict between the Roman Empire and various peoples, including the Gepids, Lombards, Avars, Slavs, and Proto-Bulgars. The arrival of these populations in the peninsula led to profound institutional, cultural, and demographic transformations. The consequences of these developments were also felt in other regions. The gradual collapse of Roman authority in the Balkans undermined the Empire’s ability to contain successive migratory waves, culminating in the sieges of Thessaloniki and Constantinople in 615 and 626 respectively. The relationship between the Empire and the so-called barbarians was both heterogeneous and complex. Periods of peaceful coexistence alternated with phases of tension and open hostility. Throughout these processes, diplomacy played a decisive role. The complexity of these interactions during the 6th and 7th centuries constitutes a fundamental field of research for understanding the transformations that reshaped South-Eastern Europe. This workshop aims to foster discussion, in light of the most recent scholarly advances, on the historical, archaeological, and cultural issues associated with this period of major geopolitical change. Its objective is to shed light on the relationships between the Romans and the newly arrived populations, the various forms of interaction attested in the sources, the demographic impact of migration, and the changes these movements brought about in the settlement patterns of the Balkans.
Editors
Ivan Gargano has been researching Illyricum in Late Antiquity since 2015, when he finished his MA thesis. The main themes in which he works are urban and rural topography, the military organisation of the provinces of Illyricum and the process of Christianisation from a historical and archaeological point of view. Currently, he is writing a monography dedicated to the topography and Christianisation of the province of Dacia Ripensis, as part of the project DANUBIUS of the University in Lille, which works on the formulation of a GIS database from provinces in the lower Danube region.
Priscilla Ralli is an archaeologist and art historian, and a former member of the French School at Athens. Her research focuses on religious architecture, topography, and architectural sculpture from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages, with particular emphasis on churches in Greece, Cyprus, and Italy. She combines approaches from medieval archaeology, Christian archaeology, and art history to investigate monuments, the built environment, and landscapes.
, Priscilla Ralli 
