2010/01/01 by Allan Langdale · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Engineering · #Maritime and Coastal Archaeology #Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History #Historical and Architectural Studies #Architecture #Empire #Ancient history #Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution #History #Geography #Archaeology #Engineering #Telecommunications
paper · doi:10.1484/j.viator.1.100571
openalex publication_date 2010/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26
This essay examines the Venetian-era architectural remains of Famagusta, Cyprus, Venice’s easternmost Mediterranean colonial outpost. Famagusta’s architectural monuments are presented as components of Venice’s policies of colonial expansionism and the strategy of stamping its possessions, even this one on the periphery of its empire, with the signifiers of Venetian domination and historical predestination. The ways in which these monuments may have been used in civic rituals, and the functions of these rituals, are also examined. The use of antique spolia and the architectural interplay with the Lusignan era gothic monuments characterize Venetian ideological tactics in Famagusta’s built environment. Also addressed is the possible influence of Giangirolamo Sanmichele, who was sent to Famagusta to renovate the city’s fortifications. These defenses, much modified by the Venetians, are virtual textbooks of early modern military architecture.