Ceramics in plain sight: The bacini of the churches of Crete. “Reflections” of the late medieval and the early modern material culture of the island

This publication, the second volume of a broader project, presents the immured glazed vessels (the bacini) located on the façades of numerous churches in the regional unit of Lasithi. The research was carried out within the framework of the research programme “Immured vessels in Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches in Greece: an electronic corpus”. The study of these ceramics sheds light on an understudied aspect of the material culture of Lasithi during the Venetian and Ottoman periods, as well as in modern times. Since publications on ceramics from this region and chronological span are scarce, the present study provides new insights into the history of the area and its connections with other regions from the 13th to the 21st century. The ceramics are examined in relation to their respective monuments, the surrounding area, and the people of eastern Crete. Alongside detailed archaeological documentation, the study discusses aspects of ceramic diffusion and the practice of immuration. The text is enriched with a comprehensive catalogue, maps, sketches, drawings, and numerous colour photographs. Through the systematic study and the full presentation of the material from Lasithi, this study brings to the fore the particularities of local practice: its earliest attestations in the thirteenth century and its notable revival in the nineteenth century.

Foreword
Editorial Note
Chapter Ι. The corpus of the immured vessels in the regional unit of Lasithi
Chapter ΙΙ. Classification of clay and glass vessels used as bacini in the regional unit of Lasithi
Chapter III. Recapitulating on the use of bacini in the churches of Crete: The case-study of the regional unit of Lasithi
Chapter IV. Concluding remarks
Chapter V. Analytical catalogue of the evidence from the regional unit of Lasithi
V.1. Introductory remarks
V.2. Catalogue
Maps - Tables
Bibliography
Index of geographical areas, places and monuments ++
Illustration credits