Andreas Gkoutzioukostas, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Dimitris Drakoulis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Dimitris Sidiropoulos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Konstantinos Diados, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Alexandra-Kyriaki Wassiliou-Seibt, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki/Austrian Academy of Sciences

Seals with known findspot in the territory of modern Bulgaria, corresponding largely to Byzantine Thrace, were examined in the framework of the project “Lead Seals in Byzantine Thrace: Re-examination of data, mapping the distribution of findings and tracing the communication networks (LSByT)” funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) for three and a half years. In order to describe and clarify the regional context of the seals found in the Early Byzantine Thracian provinces of Rhodope, Thrace, Haemimontus, Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor and dated between the 6th and 8th c., a general digital cartographic representation of the historical topography has been created. This paper undertakes a deeper analysis of the data according to the geographical and cultural features of the findspots, their proximity to the communication and settlements networks of each province during the Early Byzantine period, and their clustering into four distinct geographical zones. The new database and its cartographic visualization are presented and a comparison between the 6th and the 7th c. made regarding the quantative and qualitative distribution of findings, that will shed further light on the Byzantine presence in the above provinces.