Burying Those Touched by God: Uncovering Mortuary Practices in Byzantine Thebes

My project explores the creation of sacred space and the treatment of 'special dead' (victims of the plague and leprosy) within a newly excavated cemetery in Late Antique Thebes, Greece. This project will draw from a variety of architectural, material, and spatial evidence. Therefore, the study of ancient Thebes and its mortuary practices necessitates a holistic approach, one which includes methods drawn from across the humanities and social sciences. By classifying and contextualizing the cemetery finds, this project will aid in elucidating the spatial and cultural relationships constructed by ancient Thebans that connected grave, object, and sacred landscape.