The Medieval Black Sea Project integrates research on the multiple histories that came to intersect in this basin between the 4th and the 15th centuries. We explore essential questions about the character of the region, its geopolitical and cultural unity and diversity, and its significance to the broader development of the Mediterranean, Europe, and Asia.

Our research aims to:

• Expand understanding of the microhistories of the different communities that were created along the littoral and in the hinterland of the basin;
• Investigate how the movement of people, goods and ideas transformed societies across the region; 
• Evaluate the political, economic and cultural impact of the region on its neighbours – especially looking south to the Mediterranean, north to the Baltic, and east to the Caspian and Central Asia.

As ongoing political crises are closing borders and rendering fieldwork more difficult, we also seek to encourage continued intellectual engagement with the region by collecting and sharing resources for teaching and new research.

See Themes and Methods.